Changes
by sistergladiator12
Summary: An exploration into what might have been if Fitz and Olivia had gotten married instead of using Mellie to have her father released from prison. Canon-ish. Picks up at 5X09. Constructive criticism is welcome, but trolls will not be tolerated.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Olivia lay in bed unable to sleep. The night was completely still and quiet except for the sound of Fitz snoring lightly beside her. Only three short years ago she would have given anything to be here lying beside him as his wife and his First Lady. Only now she felt trapped. She was in prison. She was a goldfish in a fishbowl and the American people the child tapping its finger on the glass trying to get the fish to react. December was the busiest month in the White House. There were endless holiday parties, tours for school children and tours for people wanting to see the White House Christmas decorations. Thankfully most of the preparations had been made by Mellie before she and Fitz had gotten a divorce. Also on her schedule this month were the multiple magazine articles and covers about the _REAL_ Olivia Pope. The _REAL_ Olivia Pope was dead. The Woman who replaced her, Olivia Grant, was a joke. A shell of the woman she had been a month ago. Before she and Fitz were forced into a shot-gun wedding to save his presidency.

A month ago Olivia Pope had been at the top of her field. She was top dog. Not only that, she had been the top dog that other top dogs ran to when they needed to have a problem fixed. The most interesting problem she had been confronted with lately was when Senator Harding's wife had forgotten what a snicker doodle was. She was a statue, ornamental. The kind of woman she had always sworn she would never be. For as much as she loved Fitz, she also resented him too. He had turned her into Mellie. The trophy wife whose only job was to stand at her husband's side and look pretty. Prop him up and make him look good. To spew clichéd platitudes to make him feel good about his most mundane achievements. Gone were the days of Olivia Pope offering him her council and wisdom. Never mind the fact that she got him elected twice, it was painfully clear to her that now she was just the wife. Her thoughts, her opinions, her experience meant nothing. It wasn't until she had moved into the White House and became Fitz's wife that she truly gained a new appreciation for Mellie. For 23 years she propped Fitz up and stroked his ego making sure that he had everything he needed to feel good about himself.

With all of the stress that had been happening in her life at the moment it would not shock anybody that she had been feeling run down as of late. Thinking it was just an iron deficiency she went to the White House doctor to have some blood drawn and to see about getting an Iron Supplement. Little did she know she was not anemic she was pregnant. To say she was floored would have been an understatement. She had a Gyno appointment later that day. She still didn't know what she wanted to do. Fitz loved being a father, he loved his children. That was always abundantly clear to her. She remembered a time when they were on the campaign trail six years ago when she saw him kissing babies and playing with toddlers in the crowds at campaign rallies and other various functions that she used to dream about their children. In her mind it was safe to dream of what might have been because there was no way that it would actually happen. After receiving the news she felt nauseated. One might blame it on morning sickness but she blamed it on the sudden overwhelming sense that she was suffocating. If her own mother was any indication of her maternal instincts she knew she would be a terrible mother. Given the fact that a baby would only complicate her already tenuous relationship with Fitz it just didn't seem feasible for the two of them to have a baby. Only a few weeks ago the mainstream media had been calling her anything from a home-wrecking whore to a power grabbing seductress she did not know if she could bring a child into this world. Anybody who could do simple math would know that she had gotten pregnant before she and Fitz had gotten married. It was her worst fear that not only would the name calling along with the date and rape threats would start up again. However this time it was not just her that would be being attacked it would be her child. The only person who was completely innocent and blameless in this scenario would be the one who would get hurt the most. She was at a loss when it came to knowing what to do.

Eventually Olivia was finally able to go to sleep. As soon as she did though it seemed as if it was already time for her to get ready for the day. She heard Fitz stirring in the bed beside her. She soon felt an arm wrap around her body. "Hi." _Ugh, morning breath._ Olivia thought to herself. "How did you sleep?" Fitz asked her. "Not well, I feel like I just barely got to sleep before the alarm went off." Olivia said, slipping out of her husband's grip. Fitz rubbed his eyes and sat up on his side of the bed, facing away from Olivia. "It's going to be a long day. Thankfully, this Cabinet dinner tonight is the last obligation we have for the year. Hopefully after that you can start catching up on rest." Olivia took little comfort in this. "Look, I know you hate these things but our plan is working, our approval ratings are going up. Just hold on a little bit longer." The way the words _our plan_ rolled off his tongue so easily irritated her. He was delusional. This had not been their plan. This had been Cyrus's plan. He was the evil master-mind behind their whole marriage. It had been her only way out. Besides her father of course. She seriously considered that option, but in the end she opted out of that option. Her father was a monster that could not be let out of his cage.

After she and Fitz parted ways Olivia made her way to the East Wing where the Office of the First Lady resided. "Good morning Diana, do I have any messages?" Olivia asked her receptionist as she walked towards her office. "Yes ma'am, you have message from the social secretary requesting your help in regards to tonight's Cabinet dinner. And you have a message from your gynecologist wanting to confirm your appointment for later today." Diana was a petite woman probably in her late 20's or early 30's. She had been very gracious with Olivia when she first started her duties as First Lady. Olivia was grateful for this woman, Diana had made her transition from OPA gladiator to First Lady less taxing. "All right thank you Diana, I will take care of it."

Upon entering her office Olivia turned on the TV and flipped the channel to BNC. The day had just barely started and it seemed as if the newly appointed Senator Grant was already making waves by filibustering on behalf of Planned Parenthood. She watched in awe as Mellie passionately and purposefully defended the institution. She couldn't help but feel a little twinge of envy as she watched Mellie prove to everyone that she was a force to be reckoned with. There was a lot riding on this filibuster. The very future of Planned Parenthood could very well be riding on the shoulders of Mellie Grant. She knew she should help out in some way, however she hadn't the slightest clue as to how to go about doing so. Flipping the TV off again she made her way downstairs where the social secretary was eagerly awaiting her help.

Her morning went by relatively quickly. She made her way back to the residence during her lunch hour where she was met by Fitz, who was standing in front of the TV watching as Mellie's filibuster progressed. "Can you believe this?" Fitz asked as Olivia slipped off her shoes upon entering the bedroom. "She is baiting me. She knows I need this funding bill to pass and she is doing the to sabotage me." _God, has he always been this arrogant?_ She thought to herself. "Or maybe it has nothing to do with you." Olivia snapped, the words coming out harsher than she had intended. Fitz was taken aback by her last statement. "Sorry," she said. "That came out worse than I intended. I don't know what has gotten into me." Fitz sat down beside Olivia on the couch in front of the TV. "I know you are frazzled, this is a lot to get used to. For what it is worth I think you are doing an amazing job." Olivia looked a him with a sad look on her face.

"So, what is on your agenda for the rest of the day?" Fitz asked, putting his arm around her. "Well this morning, I helped Mitch prepare some last-minute details for the dinner tonight so this afternoon is a little light. I am actually going to deliver some snicker doodles to Senator Harding's wife." Fitz looked at her with shock on apparent on his face. "Snicker doodles? Really?" He asked in disbelief. "Yes, apparently she had some last year at one of the White House holiday parties and she forgot the name. Only that it had cinnamon and a funny name. Apparently they were just _to die."_ Olivia said mimicking the Senator's wife. "Plus, tis the season after all." Olivia decided to leave out the part about the doctor's appointment for that evening. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the pregnancy and she didn't want Fitz to know. Fitz adjusted his tie as he stood up. "Well, I should get going. I love you, and I will see you this evening." He said placing a kiss on the top of her head before walking out the door. Olivia continued watching the coverage of Mellie's filibuster. She was drowning out there. In that moment Olivia knew what she had to do.

Olivia's heels clicked on the marble floors of the Capitol building as she carried a plate of cookies over to the secretary's desk. "Hi, I'd like to drop these off for Senator Harding's wife. They're called Snicker doodles." Olivia said with a fake smile plastered across her face. Upon seeing a familiar figure Olivia made her way through the atrium of the Capitol building. "Senator Muskowitz, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time." Upon hearing this the Senator made her way over to Olivia. "What can I do for you Madam First Lady?"

"It's not what you can do for me so much as it is what you can do for Senator Grant." Olivia stated. "You are a democrat, you of all people don't want to see Planned Parenthood's funding get moved to the discretionary list. She is drowning out there and desperately needs someone to help her out." Senator Muskowitz rolled her eyes. "Look Madam First Lady, I am sympathetic to Senator Grant's plight, but the fact of the matter remains it's the holidays. I am just interested in getting home to my family." _Unbelievable,_ Olivia thought. "Okay well, thanks for your time. Have a happy holiday." As the Senator walked away, Olivia picked up her phone to get in touch with Susan Ross.

After hanging up the phone with Susan, who seemed more than willing to help Mellie out, Olivia was hit by a sudden wave of nausea. This had been the first symptom of her pregnancy that she had experienced. Aside from hormones causing her to lash out unpredictably. Although, she argued with herself, that could just as easily have been her husband getting on her last nerve. He had been acting like a petulant child lately. Olivia ran as fast as she could to get to the women's bathroom. After emptying the contents of her stomach, she was reduced to dry heaving still feeling the need to empty her stomach. She heard someone enter the ladies' room, presumably Mellie. Eventually she left her stall and cleaned herself up at the sink. A few moments later Mellie came out of her stall and froze upon seeing Olivia. "Of course, I should have known this was you." Olivia remained silent and went to throw away the paper towel she had used to dry herself off with.

"Did you know the youngest mother in American history was nine years old?" Olivia began. "Nine years old. She wasn't out there having sex with other nine-year-old boys because how many nine-year-old boys do you know that have already reached puberty? That means that somebody did that to her Mellie. An uncle, a brother, a grandfather, her father. Someone hurt that child." Mellie stood there in silence not sure how to react to Olivia's statement. "What were you doing at nine years old Mellie? Do you remember? I was riding my bike with my friends around my neighborhood. I had baby dolls that I played with when I was younger but never in a million years did I ever even imagine taking care of a real baby at that age. Hell, my parents didn't even tell me what sex was until I was 11." Mellie washed her hands and continued staring at Olivia in disbelief. "This took place after the days of Roe v. Wade, but because her family didn't have money for her abortion this little girl was forced to go through with a pregnancy that could have killed her. You're a mother Mellie. Can you imagine for a minute if that little girl had been Karen?"

"I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm exhausted, and I am still not even close to being through." Mellie finally spoke up. Olivia nodded, understanding that Mellie had to be tired after being on her feet all day long. She looked as if she had run out of steam. "Mellie, you can do this. You only have a few more hours to go… And besides you are the biggest bitch I know," Mellie looked at Olivia with an incredulous look on her face. "Don't you dare tell me you can't do this." Olivia finished with a smile. With that she began to walk away. "You want to stay and watch?" Mellie asked, as if she were extending an olive branch to Olivia. "No, I um I can't. I have somewhere to be." Olivia stated. "Right, the Cabinet dinner. God those things are boring." Once again Olivia turned to leave. "Keeping peppermints in your purse helps with the morning sickness." Mellie called out. This caused Olivia to spin around so fast she nearly lost her footing. "Liv, I've been pregnant three times. I know what being pregnant looks like."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Olivia said as she once again turned around to walk out of the bathroom. There were so many thoughts swarming her mind as she sat in the back of the motorcade on her way to her doctor's office. Before the morning sickness, her pregnancy had just been some abstract idea in her mind. It wasn't today that it had become real. There was really a tiny person growing inside of her at that moment. Things had become more complicated to say the least. She was still not sure how she wanted to proceed, but the thought that she would make the world's worst mother kept eating away at her. When they arrived at the gynecologist's office checked in at the receptionist's desk and took a seat in the waiting room. While waiting, a diaper commercial came on the television. A woman in a delivery room had just been handed her newborn baby for the first time. Olivia imagined what it would be like in the delivery room with Fitz. Who would their baby look like? Would their baby be a boy or a girl? Emotions threatened to overtake her, but she was able to pull herself together and hold the tears back. "Grant?" One of the nurses called causing Olivia to snap out of her daydream.

Olivia's weight was checked along with her temperature, blood pressure and pulse were all checked. "Alright, the doctor will be with you shortly, in the meantime here is a gown that you can change into." Olivia smiled in thanks to the nurse. While waiting for the doctor she started to wonder if she really wanted to go through with the abortion or if she wanted this baby and Fitz. After changing into her gown the doctor came in as if on cue. "Alright Madam First Lady, I am Doctor Adams, now before we begin I am required by law to preform a trans-vaginal ultrasound before we continue." Olivia nodded. She didn't know if she could go through with this, especially after seeing her baby on the monitor. "Now, you might feel a little discomfort, but that is perfectly normal." Olivia winced as she felt the wand making its way inside of her. The doctor moved the wand around a little bit which admittedly didn't feel so great. Then. She heard it. It was this fast-paced whooshing sound. The doctor turned the monitor towards Olivia. "There you go. The fetus is perfectly healthy. Your ovaries are in good shape and your cervix is in good shape as well. Given the size of the fetus I would say that you are six weeks along. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I have to ask again. Are you sure you want to go through with the procedure?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

As Mellie predicted the evening was incredibly boring. She and Fitz had hardly said two words to her the entire evening. It was like a game they were playing. How long could they avoid each other while still pretending like there wasn't trouble in paradise? Whenever she did catch his gaze that evening she could see the storm clouds brewing behind his blue eyes. Her evening was spent listening to gossip and idle chit chat by the wives of the cabinet members before Fitz stood up to make a speech. "Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention please?" Fitz began after clearing his throat. "Thank you. There are several people that I would like to thank for making this evening a success. First things first, I would like to thank the White House chefs for preparing this amazing food. They have truly outdone themselves tonight." He paused and waited for the applause to die down. "Second, I would like to thank my cabinet members for the countless hours they have spent keeping this country safe and secure. I could not do my job without you." Another wave of applause hit. "To their families for being supportive and understanding when we have to work all hours of the day and night. I think I can speak for everyone when I say your sacrifice is appreciated." Once more he waited for the applause to die down before continuing. "Lastly, I would love to thank my beautiful wife Olivia. She has spent countless hours these last few weeks making sure that this evening would go off without a hitch. I truly don't know what I did to deserve you. I love you." After having said this, Fitz gave Olivia an icy stare that sent chills down her spine.

After having said goodbye to their guests Fitz and Olivia made their way back to the residence, hardly making eye contact the entire time. Upon exiting the elevator Olivia went straight to her closet to slip into more comfortable clothing. "Why did you do it Olivia?" Fitz finally asked. "Do what?" Olivia asked, still facing away from him. "Oh please, don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you! Why did go behind my back and help Mellie?" _Here we go,_ Olivia thought. "I didn't. I'm not the Vice President. Susan Ross helped Mellie." She said, as she finally turned to face him. "STOP LYING TO ME OLIVIA! Do you honestly expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this? I've known you for 8 years now. I know what it looks like when you 'handle a problem'. Mellie was running out of steam then after she gets back from the bathroom she suddenly comes up with a story about a 9-year-old girl that was forced to have a child before she was even done being a child herself. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with that? That your sole reason to visit the Capitol today was to drop off cookies for Senator Harding's wife?"

"So what if I did it Fitz? Planned Parenthood plays an invaluable role in our society. Because of Mellie millions of women AND men can rest easy tonight knowing that they still have access to free birth control along with cancer screenings and abortions." Fitz scoffed at this. "I am well aware of the services Planned Parenthood provides which is why it was moved to the discretionary file, it hasn't been defunded…"

"YET!" Olivia screamed. "It hasn't been yet. What happens when one of those rich old guys on the hill decides that just because he doesn't need an abortion means that no one needs an abortion? How long before congress decides to stop funding Planned Parenthood because they need to buy a bigger yacht or a bigger private jet?" Olivia followed Fitz to the sitting area in the bedroom. Clearly not done with their argument. "What did I do you to cause you to undermine this bill? I have been trying to push this bill through since Thanksgiving." Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This has nothing to do with you! Are you so myopic that you honestly think that every decision I make is dictated by you?"

"Well it must have been something Liv, so tell me what was it?" Fitz asked as he threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "I did it because Mellie was drowning out there. I did it because it made me feel like I was useful again. I did it because I am drowning in a sea of flower arrangements and Christmas decorations and seating charts. I did it because I miss being a top dog, I miss having power. I used to have it when I ran OPA, but I gave that up so that I could be your First Lady. I had power when we were dating, you used to listen to me. You sought my council. You honestly valued my opinion, but it's like you don't even see me anymore. It's like my thoughts and opinions don't even matter anymore unless it is about what china to use for what holiday party." Fitz sighed. "I was just trying to help make your transition easier. I thought things would get easier once you got used to the way things run around here. Marriage is an adjustment, it's just going to take some time to get used to the new us…"

"WHAT US?" Olivia cut him off. "I told you going into this that if we couldn't make it work in private we couldn't make it work in public! This marriage was just a Hail Mary that was used to keep you from getting impeached." Olivia had reached the point of exhaustion. She sat down at the foot of the bed in defeat. Fitz said nothing. He just stared at her in shock for a while before joining her at the foot of the bed. "You're wrong. I mean, you're right about one thing but you're wrong about the other. We jumped into this marriage way too fast and the approach was all wrong. We do have issues we need to work through but I do not regret getting married to you. You are the love of my life. I have wanted to marry you for a long time. You're the person that I want to grow old with. This is more than just a business arrangement for me, this is me declaring my love and devotion to the only woman that makes me feel complete."

Fitz's words brought tears to her eyes. Not being one for crying she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned away from Fitz. He wrapped an arm around her and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "What happened to us Fitz? How did we get here?" She asked after finally turning to face him. "I guess we need to work on communicating better. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I don't want this marriage. I want to make us work, I'm not ready to give up on us. Not when we only just got married." Olivia looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "I want that too. I want Vermont with you, I want jam, I want kids but in order for that to happen I need you to stop shutting me out. I miss being the person you come to with your problems. I'm living with you now and I feel like I see you even less than I did before we got married." Fitz brushed his hand across Olivia's cheek, "I promise, no more shutting you out."

For the second time that day, Olivia was overcome by an overpowering wave of nausea. She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could to empty the contents of her stomach. "Liv?" Fitz called from the bedroom. "Don't come in here," she said in between heaves. Ignoring her orders Fitz followed her into the bathroom. He sat down on the side of the tub next to where Olivia was sitting on the floor. He moved her hair out of the way and began rubbing her back in a circular motion. "Do you think it's something you ate? I hope nobody else got sick after the dinner this evening." Fitz said earnestly. "I thought I told you not to come in here." She said, clearly annoyed. "Olivia, you're my wife. If you are sick I want to be with you to help you feel better." He got up and wet a washcloth and brought it over to Olivia so she could clean herself off. "It's not the dinner." Olivia told him taking the washcloth from him. He looked confused. "How do you know?" He asked. "I know because I am pregnant." Olivia finally confessed. The confusion on Fitz's face turned to shock which then turned into elation. "Are you sure?" He asked, dumbfounded. She looked at him with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "No, I just performed that Linda Blair impersonation for you because The Exorcist is your favorite movie." She said dryly.

"Olivia, this is amazing. Have you been to see a doctor? How far along are you?" His excitement was evident. "I went to the doctor because I thought I was anemic. I was just so fatigued all the time so I went in for some bloodwork. It turns out my fatigue was caused by pregnancy. I went to the doctor earlier today and he says I am 6 weeks pregnant. And I am glad that you are happy about this baby because I am completely freaking out." Fitz held out his hand and offered to help Olivia to his feet. "I mean look at the example my parents set for me. What if I completely screw this kid up? What if I find out that I can't love my own child Fitz?" Fitz took Olivia into his arms. "Olivia, we are not defined by who our parents are. You are nothing like your parents. You are kind and you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. This baby is lucky to have you as a mother. And if at any time you feel overwhelmed that is why you have me. That is what I am here for. We are in this together. Olivia you never have to go through this alone."

After they cleared the air they decided to call it a night. Olivia rested her head on Fitz's chest, absent-mindedly she drew circles on his chest with her index finger. Without thinking, the circles she drew on his chest became firmer. Before she knew it, she was massaging his pecks. A small moan escaped Fitz's lips. He carefully slipped out from underneath her. He positioned his body directly on top of hers. He kissed her passionately while simultaneously unbuttoning her pajama top. From there he took her breasts in his hands and began massaging them. A moan escaped from her mouth. "Sorry I forgot, are they tender?" He asked. "No, it's okay for now." She told him before he proceeded to continue his work. Olivia pulled Fitz's shirt off of him and grabbed onto his shoulders, she slowly worked her hands up and down his back.

After he was done with her breasts he began kissing Olivia in a trail which started at her neck, then down between her breasts then down her stomach, stopping at her panty line where her pajama pants prevented him from planting kisses on the place that he truly desired to kiss the most. Olivia lifted her hips off the bed to allow Fitz to take off her pajama pants. Once his task was complete he continued kissing her. "Ahh!" Olivia cried out in pleasure as Fitz made his way down in between her thighs. "Mhm… My favorite." He said before he began to suck on her clit. "Oh. God. Yes!" Olivia cried as she dug grabbed onto the bedsheets on either side of her. From there he began to gently bite the insides of her thighs before he re-traced his trail of kisses leading up to her mouth again.

Once he was eye level with Olivia again she began to massage him through his boxers. This caused him to moan in pleasure as he grew harder in Olivia's hand. Unable to take anymore he took his boxers off revealing the proof of his arousal. Olivia took him in her hands and slowly worked her hand up and down his penis. Using her thumb, she gently massaged the head. "Oh, Livvie. That's perfect. Just like that." Fitz moaned. Without warning, Fitz pushed his index finger inside of her. Olivia gasped and began to rock her hips back and forth. As soon as he got her warmed up his middle finger joined his index finger inside of her. This elicited an even greater response from Olivia. Her breathing became more erratic and she could feel herself growing wetter the more times Fitz pumped his fingers in and out of her.

Having had enough foreplay, Fitz took his penis and began to massage her clit with the tip before pushing into her. "Oh God. Give me more!" She screamed as she dug her finger nails into his back. He plunged deeper into her causing her grip on his back to increase. After giving her time to adjust to him, he began to pump in and out of her. Slowly at first, but quickly picking up the pace causing his breathing to become more erratic. She felt her muscles begin to contract around him causing both of them to cry out with immense pleasure. "More Fitz, go deeper!" Olivia cried. Happy to oblige, Fitz took Olivia's legs and placed then on his shoulders allowing him to plunge into her deeper. "Just… like… that." Olivia cried once he filled her up completely. He plunged quickly in and out of her a few more times before he met his climax and emptied inside of her. After pulling out of her he lowered himself on the bed next to her. Their breathing jagged and erratic they just laid there. Olivia on her back staring at the ceiling, and Fitz on his side staring at Olivia. Both with looks of ecstasy plastered all over their faces. Once Olivia's breathing steadied she rolled over onto her side to face her husband.

"Hi." She breathed. Ecstasy still evident on her face. "Hi." He replied. "God I love you so much Olivia. I've missed this, it's been way too long since we've done this." Olivia laughed. "What had sex?" She asked. "No, it's been too long since we were intimate. It's been way too long since we connected with one another. I've felt it too you know. I don't know if we've connected like this since we've been married." She acknowledged his words but said nothing. Instead she just stayed silent and stared into his beautiful eyes. Olivia leaned forward and kissed Fitz. "Goodnight. I love you." She said before turning over and turning off the bedside lamp on her side of the bed. Fitz wrapped his arms around her before settling into the bed and falling asleep.

Olivia awoke the next morning to find that Fitz had a hand resting gently on her stomach as if he were protecting their child. She smiled, in that moment she knew that she had made the right decision. He started to stir slightly beside her as if he were starting to wake up. "Good morning Mr. President." Olivia greeted him playfully. "How did you sleep last night?"

"I fell asleep with my beautiful wife in my arms I slept great." He replied. He pulled Olivia closer to him. "I think she will look like you." He said seemingly out of nowhere. She turned over to face him. "How do you know that he won't have your eyes and your goofy crooked smile?" She asked teasing him. Before Fitz could reply the landline beside his bed started ringing. "Yes?" He asked. Olivia watched the look on his face grow dark as his smile slowly turned into a frown. "I'll be right there." He said before hanging up the phone. He kissed Olivia on the lips before rushing to get ready for his day. "That sounded serious." Olivia began. "Hopefully, it's just a false alarm. But either way I don't want you to worry, you have our baby to consider now." Olivia looked at him with concern written all over her face. "Fitz…" She began. "Liv, I've got this covered. If there's something you need to be aware of I will let you know. You should go back to sleep, you need to rest." Olivia watched as Fitz rushed out the door. _So much for a peaceful Saturday morning._ Olivia thought to herself before she rolled back over in bed and pulled the covers over her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**First I would like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. I look forward to your feedback. On another note The Voice of Hope which I referenced in this chapter is an organization in my hometown. It used to be known as the Rape Crisis Center, but recently it has broadened it's scope to reach out to victims of human trafficking. I thought this might be something Olivia would be likely to champion as First Lady. As I have said before, thank you for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

 **Chapter Three**

After deciding that she couldn't sleep any more, Olivia decided to turn the TV on to see if there was any hint of what had gotten Fitz out of bed so early. The look on his face when he left had her mildly concerned. It was just barely 8 o'clock and Fitz had already been gone for going on two hours. She walked over to the sitting area and flipped the channel over to BNC. News of Mellie's successful filibuster dominated the news channel. TV personalities had deemed her the feminist icon of the 21st century. Saying "If more republicans were like Mellie Grant, more of us might be republicans." The ticker at the bottom of the screen announced that there was only 4 more shopping days until Christmas. The upcoming story was about a viral video that had taken the internet by storm about a dog playing peek-a-boo with a baby. _How is this even news?_ Olivia thought. However, there was nothing on the news about why Fitz had to leave so early this morning.

As if on cue Fitz walks through the doors of the Residence to see Olivia watching the news. "You aren't going to find what you're looking for on the news," he began. "And you were supposed to go back to bed." He said as he took off his blazer and hung it on the back of the chair. "How are you feeling this morning? Feeling sick at all?" He asked as he leaned over to kiss her. "Just a little queasy, but nothing major. Fitz, what had you run out of here so fast this morning?" Olivia asked, the concern written all over her face. Fitz sighed as he loosened his tie. His look growing darker as he sat down to face Olivia. "Olivia, when I tell you what I have to tell you I am going to need you to stay calm. I can't have you over reacting." The concern on her face grew. "Fitz, just tell me. What has you so worried? What was so horrible that you got called out of bed at 5:30 this morning?" Fitz took Olivia by the hand and let out another sigh. "Olivia, your father escaped from prison…"

Olivia didn't hear the rest of what he had to say. Her world suddenly switched to slow-motion. She stared blankly ahead not really looking at anything in particular. She couldn't hear anything Fitz said over the sound of her own heartbeat. "Olivia? Olivia… LIV!" Fitz finally yelled to get her attention. "Liv, I know this is alarming, but I don't want you to worry. We can double the number of agents on your detail until we find him if that's what is worrying you. The main thing is I don't want you to worry he can't get to you here." Olivia looked at him with a mix of shock and terror on her face. "How do you know he can't get me here? When did he escape, how long has he been gone? Are there any leads? He had one of his most trusted agents kill your son just inches away from where you were standing! After I got kidnapped you had to do a complete sweep of all of your personnel because none of them could be trusted. What makes these agents any different? How do we know that none of the agents have any loyalties to my dad or to B6-13?"

"Liv, I need you to breathe. You are going to hyperventilate." Olivia watched as Fitz took a few slow deep breaths so that she could copy his breathing. "Olivia. I have the best, most qualified people working on finding your father. As far as how long he's been gone. He was in his bunk last night at light's out but he was gone this morning." Olivia stood up and started pacing. "That was more than 12 hours ago! My father could be anywhere right now, planning God only knows what and we are none the wiser." Fitz got up and pulled Olivia into a hug. "Olivia I know you are worried, but I am not going to let anything happen to you. I will do everything in my power to protect you. But in order for me to do that I am going to need you to stay here. It is easier to protect you if you stay on the White House grounds." Olivia looked at him with wide eyes. "So your plan to protect me is to hold me hostage here? Fitz I'm speaking at an elementary school and at the Voice of Hope after the holidays! What if you never find him Fitz? We need to be able to live our lives, what about doctor's appointments. I mean the White House doctor is great but he is not a gynecologist or an OBGYN." Fitz was making shushing noises while holding Olivia trying to get her to calm down once more. "Olivia, we ARE going to find him. Have you eaten anything? Even if all you feel like eating is toast, it's better than nothing." Olivia nodded, still trying to process everything."

After eating Olivia decided to make her way to the East Wing. "Good morning Diana, are you ready for Christmas?" She asked as she made her way past her receptionist's desk. "Yes ma'am I'm all set. How about you? Do you and the president have anything planned for your first Christmas?" Her receptionist asked. "Nothing special, we're just planning on spending the day together watching Christmas movies." Olivia shrugged pushing the door to her office open.

Trying to keep her mind off of her father Olivia began working on her speech that she was supposed to give at the Voice of Hope. The intercom beeped bringing her back to reality. "Ma'am, Ms. Whelan is here to see you." Diana informed her. "Thanks, send her in." A few seconds later Abby came into Olivia's office with concern written all over her face. "Liv, oh my God! Are you okay? The president said that your father broke out of prison, you must be freaking out!" Olivia held up her hand to signal for Abby to calm down. "Fitz says he has his best people working on it. I would feel better if I could put Huck and Quinn on it. Abby this is my father, you and I both know what he is capable of. Fitz doesn't want me leaving the premises until my father is found." Abby nodded. "Well, I would say that's pretty extreme if this wasn't your father we were talking about. But I get it, Liv you are the reason your father went to prison in the first place. He's probably afraid that your father is planning to retaliate."

"Fitz is just being over-protective. He's concerned about the effect the stress will have on…" Olivia stopped herself before she could finish that sentence. "On… what Liv?" Abby asked. "Nothing, forget I said anything. Thanks for coming by to check on me, but I am fine." Abby looked at her skeptically. "Liv are you pregnant?" She asked. "Abby! Thank you for your concern but I am fine, don't you have a job you should be getting back to?" Olivia asked trying to avoid her friend's question. "Okay fine, sorry I asked. I just wanted to come by and let you know that I am here if you need anything." With that Abby stood up to leave. "Yes. I am pregnant, but Abby I swear you cannot tell another soul. It's not exactly something that I want getting around." Abby turned back around to sit in the chair in front of Olivia's desk. A smile slowly crept across Abby's face. "What?" Olivia asked in annoyance. "I just never thought I would see the day that Olivia Pope would become someone's mother. You know, people are going to figure it out eventually. You can't hide this forever."

"Well obviously I can't hide it forever. But This will not be another 'America's Baby' situation. Just a little over a month ago people were calling me a home-wrecker and a whore. I was getting death threats and rape threats, there is just a part of me that is worried that all of that rage and resentment is going to come back. The only difference this time is that my baby would be the one being hurt, not me." Abby nodded, understanding why her friend wanted to keep things quiet. "Okay, no one will hear a word from me… And Olivia, congratulations. This is one lucky kid." She said before getting showing herself out of Olivia's office. After staring at her computer screen for several minutes she realized she had no idea how to start her speech for the Voice of Hope she closed her laptop and decided to see if Fitz had any news on her father.

Olivia made her way to the West Wing at lunch. "Good afternoon Charlotte, is there anyone in with the president right now?" Olivia asked. "Just Mr. Beene, but you can go on in. He figured you might be stopping by today." Olivia thanked her and walked into her husband's office. "Cyrus, it's good to see you. It's Saturday, you should be home with Michael and Ella." Olivia said as she sat her purse down in the chair closest to the door. "And miss the manhunt for your father? What fun would that be? I'll leave you two to it. Sir, I'll get back to you later on the uh…" He said pointing to the folder in his hand. "Hello, Mr. President. Has your day improved since this morning?" She asked as she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Well, it's certainly better now Madam First Lady." He said in a teasing voice. "Any leads on my father?" She asked him as she sat down in the chair beside his desk. "Liv, you don't need to worry about your father. In the words of a wise woman 'it's handled'." Olivia smiled. "I told Abby. I didn't mean to, it just sort of slipped out." Olivia admitted. Fitz looked at her. "Oh, I didn't know we were telling people." He stated. "She's not just anyone. She is my best friend Fitz, and she is your press secretary. She can help us put a lid on this until we decide to tell people. Or until it becomes blatantly obvious that I'm pregnant. You know, which ever comes first." Fitz chuckled to himself. "I do think we need to talk about me not leaving White House grounds until you find my father. Fitz you are being WAY too over-protective. I have duties and responsibilities to see to. And I have never cowered down to my father before why should I start now?"

"Olivia, you said it yourself. He killed Jerry, while I was only inches away. I trust this detail to protect you, but just in case I am wrong again I want to keep you close to me." Olivia sighed. "Okay. For now, okay. I will stay here. However, I will not live my life in the fear that my father is lurking in the shadows like some middle-aged boogey man." Fitz looked at her. "I'll make sure we find him fast then." A thought came to Olivia's mind, maybe for the first time since finding out her father had escaped. "Fitz? What are you going to do with him when you find him?" Fitz looked at her with a gloomy expression. "Ideally, we will put him back where he belongs. However, Olivia your father is a dangerous man and my men are prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure he is no longer a threat." Olivia nodded her head. She knew all of the horrible things her father had done but she still felt an unexplainable loyalty to him. No matter how misguided that loyalty may have been he was still her father. "Now have you eaten yet? I can have the chef bring us whatever you want."

Later that evening Olivia made her way down the tunnels that connected Blair House and the White House. "Well, I'm here what do you want?" Mellie asked as Olivia with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Mellie, thanks for meeting me. I need you to do me a favor." Olivia began. "Olivia, I thank you for everything you did to help me yesterday, but let's be clear we are not friends. You are still the woman who stole my husband away from me."

"Mellie stop I need you to listen to me. This concerns you as much as it does me." Mellie got quiet and looked at Olivia with an indignant look on her face. "I need you to go to OPA and give this to Huck and Quinn for me. There is a prisoner that has escaped from prison last night and I want to have my people look into it." Olivia handed a file to Mellie. "A prisoner? Olivia, why are you concerned about an escaped prisoner and why can't you do it yourself? I am not your errand girl." Mellie opened up the file and gasped in shock. "The prisoner's name is…"

"Damascus Bainbridge, I know his name. Liv why do you have this man's file, do you know what he's done?" Mellie asked. Olivia looked confused. "No, his name is Eli Pope. He's my father." Mellie looked at Olivia in horror. "Olivia, this monster is your father? Do you know what he's done? Those grand jurors on that bus. He killed them." Olivia shifted her weight onto her left foot. "He escaped from prison last night and Fitz doesn't think it's a good idea for me to leave the White House until he is found." Mellie nodded her head as if to agree with Fitz. "Do you really think he will come after you? That's why you want your team on this isn't it? Do you honestly think your father would come after you? Who else has he done this to?" Mellie asked barely breathing between questions. "I'm the reason he went to prison in the first place, Fitz is afraid that he might try to retaliate. As far as who else has he done this to? Mellie, he killed Jerry. My dad ran a back-door CIA operation. Tom Larson was one of my dad's most trusted agents. Upon my dad's orders Tom killed your son." Mellie just stood there in disbelief for a minute. Her breathing quickened and Olivia could tell that she was starting to hyperventilate. She held her hand out to help Mellie but she blocked Olivia's advance. After pulling herself together she told Olivia that she would make sure that Huck and Quinn would look into her father's whereabouts.

"Good evening." A voice greeted her when she opened the doors to the Residence. "Hi, how was the rest of your day?" She asked Fitz as she went to the closet to get changed into her pajamas. "Good, I missed you at dinner. You really need to change your eating habits. So where were you?" He asked her. "I just had a few things that I needed to take care of. And I wasn't hungry. Food just doesn't sound appealing right now." After changing into her pajamas she made her way over the couch where Fitz sat and read an article in a political magazine. "Tom Larson escaped from federal prison a few hours ago. It seems likely that your father is behind it. Whether he orchestrated it or freed Tom himself is still unclear. I can assure you that everything that can be done. Is being done. That being said I have decided to go another direction in the search for your father." Olivia and Fitz sat there in the quiet for several moments.

Olivia was the first to break the silence. "I saw Mellie, I met her in the tunnels between here and Blair House. I had her give Huck and Quinn a file on my father. Huck has better incentive than most to find my father. And while I trust your people to figure it out; Huck and Quinn are my family." Fitz didn't say anything for a long time. "Why Mellie?" Olivia looked up at Fitz. "I would go to OPA myself but you have me on lock-down here." Fitz sighed. "Not funny Olivia, why go through Mellie?"

"Because she has as much reason as anyone to want my father found." Olivia said. "And so does Huck, he took both of their kids away from them. They both have a reason to want my dad found." Fitz stood up to poor himself a glass of scotch. "Can I get you some water?" Fitz asked. "No thanks, I would kill for a glass of wine right now though." She gave Fitz a look to let her know she was only joking. "That's funny, but it's also not going to happen." Fitz told her as he sat back down. "You remember those jurors on that bus?" Fitz asked. "That was Mellie. Mellie fed your father the names of those jurors because he told her he could make her Senator." Olivia looked up at Fitz with shock and horror. "Fitz, I had no idea. But I need my guys on this. I trust them to take care of this."

"I put Jake on it." Fitz confessed to her. "He has a certain, shall we say, 'expertise' that my men and women in the FBI and CIA don't have." Olivia gave him a quizzical look. "Like you said about Huck. Jake has a reason to want your father found too. After everything your father did to him." Olivia looked at Fitz with a serious look on her face. "Fitz, tell me again. You aren't intentionally setting out to kill my father." Fitz took Olivia's face in his hands. "Olivia, I am not setting out to intentionally kill your father. The only thing I care about right now is protecting my wife and my child. However, I also know that hurting him would hurt you, so I will do whatever it takes to bring him in without incident." Olivia sighed and continued resting her head on his chest while he went back to reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this one took me so long. I seem to have hit a wall when it comes to writing. I think I've gotten past it though. As always, thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter Four**

It had been two weeks since her father had gone missing from prison. After many heated arguments Fitz finally conceded that he had been too hasty is saying that Olivia would not be allowed to leave the White House until her father was captured. However, she agreed that until her dad was caught she would travel with double the amount of security. That being said today she was headed to OPA to see if Huck and Quinn had found anything new on her father's whereabouts. She waited outside the building while part of her security detail did a sweep of the office. After getting the all clear she entered the building. Stepping into the elevator an overwhelming sense of nostalgia swept over her. She hasn't seen her team, nor has she been to OPA since she moved into the White House with Fitz.

Walking down the hall she felt like she was coming home. Making her way into the conference room she saw that her team was already waiting for her. "Hey guys what have you found?" She asked as she walked in and set her purse down. "Hey guys, nice to see you guys, how's business been since I abandoned you and left for the White House?" Quinn said sarcastically. "How are you Quinn? How's business?" Olivia asked. "Oh Liv thanks for asking I've been great, business is a bit slow now that everyone knows you left to become First Lady though." Quinn added. "Huck have you been able to find anything?" Olivia asked. "We haven't been able to find anything yet but we have flagged all of his bank accounts both in the States and abroad so if he makes a withdrawal anywhere we will be able to trace it." Huck stated. "Okay but how can that help find him when everything is electronic?" Olivia asked? "Have you met us? We can find him Liv." Quinn said.

"Fitz decided to have Jake track down my father. As much as I would like to trust him to find my father I also can't deny the fact that my father has his hooks in Jake. I'd like for you to look into him and if nothing else put my mind at ease and prove that he is actually trying to help Fitz find my father." Olivia told her team. "So, I don't get it. What is it about your father that has everyone so worried? I thought he went to prison for embezzling money from the Smithsonian, that doesn't exactly scream dangerous psychopath to me." Marcus chimed in, being the newest gladiator he wasn't aware of her father's history quite like the other two were. "Believe me, my father is the last person in the world you want to have a problem with. He most decidedly not father-of-the-year material. Anyway, I have to go. I just wanted to come by in person to see what you guys had found. It was good seeing you guys again, I've missed it here." She said her goodbyes to both Marcus and Quinn while Huck walked her to the elevator. "Is he good to you Liv? Does he make you happy?" Huck asked her before the elevator came. "Yes, he is good to me. And yes, he makes me happier than I ever thought I could be." Olivia gushed. Out of character for her, but she chalked it up to hormones. "Liv you let me know if that ever changes okay. I'll take care of you." He said trying to be discrete. "Huck, don't even joke about that. He is a good man and he loves me and he will be a good father to our children one day. I'm fine Huck. You don't need to worry about me." She said hugging him. "I'll come visit you in a few more weeks to see if you have anything new, goodbye Huck." She said squeezing his hand. "Bye Liv."

"Good afternoon Charlotte is anyone with the President right now?" Olivia asked after getting back to the White House. "No ma'am, you can go in." Charlotte informed her. Upon entering the Oval she saw her husband sitting at his desk with his head in his hands as if he had a migraine. "You feeling okay?" Olivia asked as she placed her purse and her coat in the chair by the fireplace. "Much better now." He said as he crossed the room to greet her. "How are you today? And how's my baby today?" He asked as he rested his hand on her stomach. "I'm fine today, and if you are going to do this for the next 32 weeks we are going to have a problem." She told him. "I went by OPA this morning to see if my team was able to find anything out." Fitz rested his hand on the small of her back and led her to the couch. "What's the matter Liv? You don't trust me to find your father?" Fitz asked her. "I never said that, I just know my team. Given everything that my dad did to Huck I know that he will do everything it takes. I missed my team, it feels good being with them again." She confessed. "I know, you've given up a lot to be here but it won't be much longer and you can go back to them if that's what you want." Fitz told her. "So um, has Jake been able to find anything my team hasn't?" Olivia asked. "So far, he hasn't been able to find much. If your father is sticking around he has gone deep underground." He said.

"I just realized, I never asked you how your speech at the Voice of Hope went yesterday. How was it?" Fitz asked turning to face her. "It went well. I was able to meet with survivors as well as educators and have a proper dialogue about how to bring the topic of sex trafficking into the light as well as identifying the biggest obstacles that are keeping us from fixing this problem." Olivia said turning to face Fitz. "Sounds like you had a productive visit then. And what exactly are the biggest obstacles that are keeping us from fixing this problem?" He asked her. "To be succinct, education. On both sides. These sex traffickers are targeting our children and our parents don't know how to warn their kids because they don't know what to look out for. We had stranger danger to warn our children about talking to people they don't know, but in this case parents and schools are not warning these kids about sex trafficking because they don't know what to look out for." Fitz just stared at her for a little while. "Well, I'm glad this organization has found someone so passionate to champion their cause. I'm proud of you for doing this." He told her as he planted a kiss on her lips. "Oh yeah?" She asked him. "Well maybe you should show me just how proud of me you are when we get back to the Residence tonight." She teased before she walked over to the door. "I'll see you tonight Mr. President." She said as she turned to leave. "Bye Cyrus." She said as she opened the door to reveal Cyrus on the other side.

On her way back to the East Wing she ran into Abby. "Hey Liv, haven't spoken to you in a few days. How have you been?" Abby asked as she began to walk along side Olivia. "I've been busty these last couple of days, what's up?" Olivia asked. "Can't I stop by and say hi to a friend?" Abby asked. "Of course, sorry Abby. How have you been?" Olivia asked. "I've been good. How about you and little Olivia? Have you found out anything new on your father?" Olivia shushed her. "We still haven't told anyone, and we're fine. As for my father Huck and Quinn are on it, Jake too hopefully one of them will find something."

"I saw your speech yesterday, for the Voice of Hope. Good luck getting these Republicans to allow anything other than abstinence to be taught in sex ed classes in this country." Olivia smiled. "I find it humorous that you are one of the most liberal democrats I know and yet you work for a republican administration." She laughed. "I'm glad my suffering is funny to you. Some friend you are. Anyway, I should get going. I've got a job to get back to." Abby waved. "Bye Abby." Olivia said as she made her way into her office. As she opened the door to her office she saw a package sitting on her desk. "Diana, where did this package come from?" Olivia asked. "Oh, the president had it sent here this morning. He didn't want me to say anything. He wanted it to be a surprise." Upon opening the box Olivia found a black backless evening gown. It was sexy yet elegant at the same time. There was a note inside the box as well. It read: _Olivia, I know that Christmas has already passed, but I'm not done giving you gifts. I had this ordered for you a week ago. I just figured with everything that has happened recently, you need a chance to breathe and just forget. I made reservations for us at that little new Italian place for 7 o'clock. I love you more than you will ever know. Fitz._ Olivia smiled as she gingerly set the dress back in the box.

"You look stunning by the way." Fitz told her as he looked over at her in the limo. "You like? My husband bought it for me." She smiled. "Well, your husband must have excellent taste… and not just in dresses." He said flashing his signature Fitz smile. "He most certainly does, maybe I'll show him just how grateful I am when we get home later." She said coyly. "Mrs. Grant, you tease." He placed his hand on top of hers. "In all honesty, I look forward to spoiling you and our children for the rest of my life." She started blushing. "What makes you think this one won't be the only one?" She asked. "That house in Vermont is too big for us to only have one kid." He told her with a smile still on his face. "We'll see how this one goes, how about that?" When the limo arrived outside of the restaurant Fitz exited first then helped Olivia.

"This is perfect, Fitz really. Thank you." She said as she took a drink of her ice water. "Well I figured you needed an opportunity to get your mind off of your father so here we are." He told her. "So, have you given any thought to your State of the Union speech? It's your last one. This is huge." She said. "No work tonight. This is supposed to be us spending time together before it's not just the two of us anymore." Fitz told her. "We have plenty of time before that happens." Olivia reminded him. "It'll go faster than you think." She smiled at the idea of holding their child. "Okay but seriously, when writing your speech remember to thank the American people. You can talk about your accomplishments over these past two terms but find a way to relate it back to the people. Say that you inspired them to fight for the Brandon bill and for an easier path to citizenship. That you couldn't have accomplished half of the things you accomplished if it wasn't for their unwavering belief that you could be great."

Fitz smiled at her. "What?" She asked feeling self-conscious. "You constantly amaze me, sometimes I forget how good you are at this." She took a bite of her food. "So you just forgot that I helped get you elected twice?" Fitz took a drink of his wine, as if trying to dodge her question. "I could never forget that. If you hadn't helped me get elected the first time I would probably still be married to Mellie. The day you walked into my life I knew you were special. My only mistake was waiting so long to prove it to you." Olivia smiled, blushing. "Well, we're here now. That's all that counts."

After the evening was over Olivia and Fitz were back at the Residence getting ready for bed. "Thank you for dinner tonight, and the dress. Everything was perfect." She said as she applied lotion to her skin. He came up behind her and kissed the side of her neck. "You are very welcome. As I have stated earlier, I have every intention of spoiling you." She cringed. "You okay?" He asked. "Did you start using a new toothpaste?" She asked. "No, why?" He asked her. "It's just strong is all." She replied. He chuckled as he took the lotion from her and started putting lotion on her back. A moan escaped her lips, letting him know to continue. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed where he laid her down on her back. After taking off her lingerie he began kissing and lightly biting the inside of her thighs.

She moaned as one hand gripped the headboard behind her and the other hand gripped the sheets beside her. She felt herself getting wetter the farther up her thigh Fitz kissed her. "Kiss me Fitz." She breathed. "I thought my toothpaste was too strong and made you sick." He teased. "Just shut up and kiss me." She told him. Happy to oblige, he started placing kisses on her neck and slowly made his way up to her mouth. Olivia took her hand and started massaging him over his boxers. He let out a groan and Olivia could feel him becoming harder. Soon after he stopped what he was doing and entered her with his finger. "Oh god Fitz!" She screamed, encouraging him to add another finger and pump in and out of her faster. She bucked her hips faster trying to match his pace. "Turn over." He commanded. She obliged, rolling over on her knees and elbows. After taking off his boxers he grabbed onto her hips as he began to thrust into her. Slowly at first, but then after she got used to him he picked up his pace. "Oh god, yes." She moaned. "I need more Fitz. Harder." She screamed. "You like this don't you Livvie?" He asked her as plunged into her with more ferocity. "Are you gonna cum for me?" He asked. "Yes, yes oh god YES!" Olivia felt her muscles contract around him causing the both of them to lose control. After a few more minutes long, deep thrusts Fitz emptied inside of her and then collapsed on his side of the bed.

Olivia joined him, resting her head on his chest. "Wow." Was all she said when she finally caught her breath. "Yeah, no kidding." Was his answer. "So what do you have planned tomorrow?" Fitz asked her. "Well tomorrow morning I am going to a local elementary school and speaking at an assembly. Then tomorrow afternoon I am giving a tour to a group of high school kids from New York. Their Current Events team took first in State and they won a tour of the White House." Olivia told him. "What about you?" She asked. "I've got a meeting tomorrow morning with the Joint Chiefs. We will be discussing policy in our war efforts in the Middle East. Then tomorrow afternoon I've got a meeting with Jake to discuss your father." Olivia was silent. She had been having such a nice evening pretending like her father was a non-issue. "Have you considered asking the FBI and CIA? I know you trust Jake, but Jake is just one guy. If you called in the FBI or the CIA they might get results faster." Olivia pointed out. "I will think about it. We'll see what Jake has to offer tomorrow and then go from there." He reassured her.

The room went silent again. "What's on your mind?" Olivia asked Fitz. "I'm just thinking, we only have 54 more left here." He confessed. "But who's counting right?" She asked him. "I understand that being President is a privilege shared by only 43 other men besides myself, but I would give anything to be a normal person again." Olivia laughed. "Fitz, you will never be normal ever again. You will have a secret service detail the rest of your life. No matter where you go, you will always be recognized." She told him. "Not forever. How many kids these days know who Jimmy Carter is or what he looks like? Eventually I will be able to fade into obscurity and live my life in as normal a manner as possible." He told her. "First of all, don't ever compare yourself to Jimmy Carter. While he was in office his polling numbers were terrible." Fitz chuckled to himself. "Yes, but after he left the White House he did a hell of a lot of good." Fitz reasoned. "What do you have planned after you leave Mr. President?" She asked him. "I'm not sure honestly. There is still so much that I want to accomplish but I'm not sure where I would even start." He told her. "Well then, I guess we know what to focus on in these next few months." She said patting his chest. "That and taking care of our baby." He said with a smile on his face. "How could I forget that?" Olivia asked him before rolling over and going to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It had been two weeks since their date night and her father had still not been found. Fitz had finally decided to call in the FBI and the CIA in order to find Rowan. It seemed however, that no matter how close anyone got to her father, he was always one step ahead. This was a man who spent his entire career lurking in the shadows. He knew how to stay hidden until he was ready to be found. She hadn't heard back from Huck or Quinn but she was hoping that would change soon. Today however she had more pressing matters to deal with. Today was Fitz's last State of the Union address. He tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal but she knew him better than that. "So are you going to let me read what you have?" Olivia asked him while she was fixing her hair. "Sure, come by whenever you get a break and take a look at it." Fitz said after he got done brushing his teeth.

"Sure, I'm going to meet with Huck and Quinn this morning. Hopefully they will have something new on my dad. Then I am free after that." She said. "Liv, your father can't hide from us forever. We are going to find him." He reassured her yet again. "Fitz this man has spent his entire life hiding in the shadows. If we do find him it's because he wants to be found." Olivia told him. "Liv, he is an escaped convict why would he want to be found?" He asked her. "Because it's part of his game." She said without even a hint of humor in her voice. "Is it possible that you're giving your father too much credit?" He asked her. "Is it possible that you're not giving him enough credit? You know what he is capable of. He had you shoot down a commercial airliner just to fake my mother's death. Anyway, I should get going. I love you, I'll see you later." She said, kissing him on the lips.

The ride to OPA was uneventful. When she made her way down the hall she found that everyone was in the conference room waiting for her. "Hey guys, please tell me that you've found something on my father." She pleaded with them. "He has made several withdrawals from various bank accounts all across the globe." Huck started. "Great, so you tracked his IP address and?" Olivia asked. "And? Nothing! We were never able to track down where the withdrawals were coming from or where the money was being sent!" Quinn said clearly upset by something. Olivia shot her a look but said nothing. "Where is Marcus?" Oliva asked, as if she just barely noticed his absence. "He's with a client." Huck said. "Good, I'm glad you're getting some business." Olivia stated. "Right!" Quinn scoffed. "Do we have a problem?" Olivia asked, finally speaking up. "I don't know Liv, do we?" Quinn asked. "I'm gonna go back to my office and do some things." Huck said as he got out of the conference room as quickly as possible.

"Seriously Quinn, do we have a problem?" Olivia asked, more firmly this time. "No, we're great! Never better. Why do you ask?" Quinn said sarcastically. "Enough, we are not children Quinn. This is not Junior High. If you have a problem with me come out and say it but I am done with the passive aggressive comments and the attitude. So tell me, what is your problem?" Olivia asked once more. "My problem is you left. We went over a cliff for you! We had your back we fought for you when the press was ripping you to shreds and you thank us by leaving. Stephen left us Harrison left us, Abby left us but you… you were supposed to be the one constant. You are OP. Without you we are just A. We were counting on you to be our glue and you left." Olivia stood there stunned, not knowing quite what to say. "Quinn, I'm sorry if you feel like I abandoned you. I left because I got married. It would have been too hard to juggle OPA with the responsibility of being First Lady so I took a step back. You're wrong about one thing though. You're wrong about me being the glue. That's always been you Quinn. I ran away to the island with Jake, you kept the business going. I got kidnapped and you kept the business going and you kept Huck from derailing. So when Fitz asked me to marry him I didn't think twice about stepping away from OPA because I knew that you would step up. I appreciate everything you do here." Olivia confessed. "You know? I really wanted to hate you." Quinn told her. "By the way, what's with the dress? Is that like the official uniform of the First Lady?" Quinn asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh um, no not quite." Olivia added, not quite sure how to tell Quinn the truth. "It's weird. I don't think I've ever seen you wear a dress. There's something else different about you, did you do something to your hair?" Olivia smiled and gave a half-hearted laugh. "Actually, I'm pregnant. Fitz and I haven't made it public yet so if you don't mind keeping a lid on this for now that would be great." Olivia said to who Quinn stood there in silence.

"Wow, Olivia Pope is going to be someone's mother! Never thought I'd see that." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's what Abby when she found out."

"You told Abby?" Quinn asked. "Well, not on purpose. It just kind of slipped out in conversation." Olivia said trying to make sure there were no hard feelings. "So… Congratulations I guess." Quinn said, not really sure what to say. "Thanks. To be honest I'm kind of freaking out. We are going to have to tell people soon and I'm worried about how they will react. Just two months ago people were threatening to rape and/or kill me. I guess I'm just a little apprehensive." Olivia confessed. "You're Olivia Pope. You got kidnapped and sold on the Black Market. When you were rescued you could have laid down and played the victim but you didn't. You pulled yourself together and helped get justice for a kid who was killed by a crooked, racist police officer. When the press was calling dragging your name through the mud you pushed through it by going on tv and peddling a whole bunch of mushy, gag-inducing romantic crap and made America fall in love with you. If you can do that, you can do anything." Olivia smiled. "It's Grant now… and thanks." Olivia said. "Anyway, I really have to get going. I just wanted to touch base with you guys."

Olivia stepped into Huck's office before leaving. "Hey Huck. I just wanted to come by and say goodbye before I left. It's always good to see you." She said. "Bye Liv, is everything okay now? With you and Quinn I mean?" He asked. "Yeah, we're fine now. There's nothing to worry about." Olivia told him. "Good, because we really miss you around here. And Liv? Congratulations, you're going to be a great mother." She looked confused. "I overheard you telling Quinn. I'm happy for you." A smile slowly began to spread across her face. "Thanks Huck. Listen if you don't mind will you keep on my father?" She asked. "Sure thing. One more thing, Jake was clean as far as I can tell. If he is involved he is doing a great job covering his tracks." He said.

After getting back to the White House the rest of Olivia's morning was spent working on speeches and going over the final guest list for the State dinner in early February. Shutting down her laptop, she made her way to the West Wing. After getting the okay from Charlotte, Olivia walked into Fitz's office. "Hi." She said as she walked into the room. "Hi." He answered back as he stood up to greet her. "Any news from your team?" He asked as he led her over to the couch in the Oval. "My father has been taking money out of various accounts but they were unable to pinpoint his specific location. What about you? Have your guys found out anything new?" She asked. "Not much more than what your guys have… Liv, I know this is frustrating but we will find him." She sighed. "Would it really be so bad if we didn't? If we never had to see him again? I'm so tired of constantly worrying about what my father is up to. I just want to wash my hands of him. Anyway, where is this speech of yours? Someone needs to make sure that you listened to your wife's excellent advice." He got up and retrieved a folder from his desk. "I always listen to my wife. She happens to be incredibly brilliant, and sexy, and she is the reason that I am even in this office to begin with." He told her. "She sounds amazing." Olivia teased. "She is." Fitz assured her. "It's good, I would change this here though. It's getting there, but it could still use some more work." Olivia told him.

"What do you suggest?" He asked her. "Well, you still have one more year in office. You need to reassure the American people that you haven't checked out yet. You might be a lame duck President but that doesn't mean that you have given up on them. Outline your agenda for the next year, your last year. What would you like to with these 52 weeks that you have left in office?" Olivia asked as she handed his speech back to him. "So insightful. By the way I understand the need to wash your hands of your father, but he needs to pay for what he has done." Fitz said. Olivia just sighed and looked away from Fitz. "Liv, it's going to work out." He reassured her. "I know. Look, I've got to get some stuff done in my office. I just wanted to come by and read your speech before tonight. I love you." She told him. "I love you too. Very much." He said pulling her into a tight hug.

While she was in the West Wing she decided to pay a visit to Abby. "Hey Abby how busy are you?" She asked knocking on the door. "It's the day of the President's last State of the Union address so out of 10, I'd say about a 12. What's up?" She asked. "Just wanted to talk to my best friend about something, but it can wait." Olivia said as she turned to leave. "No, sit." Abby insisted. "I always have time for my best friend." Olivia turned and crossed over to a chair in front of Abby's desk. "So, what brings the First Lady into my office today?" Abby asked, making Olivia laugh. "Abby please, not you too." Olivia begged. "I have an idea that I need to discuss with my best friend and my husband's press secretary." She stated. "Okay, what's going on?" Abby asked, mild concern evident in her voice.

"I'm thinking that it's time Fitz and I start telling people about the baby." Olivia confessed. A huge smile grew on Abby's face. "What?! Olivia this is amazing, what made you finally decide this?" Abby inquired. "I'm not going to be able to hide it much longer. I recently ordered an entirely new wardrobe because my clothes no longer fit me anymore and my ring doesn't fit because my fingers have started to swell. The last thing I need is for rumors to start circulating about my marriage because I can't wear my stupid rings anymore!" Abby sat there in silence listening to her friend rant. "My bras don't fit me anymore either which is why I am wearing this ridiculous coat even though it's like 80 degrees inside. I've had to order more of those too. Apparently maternity and nursing bras offer twice the coverage of normal bras because my breasts are going to get twice as huge and there is nothing I can do to stop it." Abby waited to see if Olivia was done before speaking up.

"Okay, have you thought about how you are going to come forward?" Abby asked. "Will you and the President hold a press conference? Will you sit down with Noah Baker or Kimberly Mitchell?" She continued. "No, I am thinking about telling the Washington Women's Journal when they interview me next week. They want an exclusive with the new First Lady about what Fitz and I have planned for our first Valentine's as a married couple. I just need my best friend to talk me into it, because I am terrified." Olivia confessed. "Okay first of all breathe, you are going to hyperventilate. Second have you talked to Fitz about this?"

"No, he's been a bit pre-occupied today. I was thinking about telling him tonight after the speech. He should be on board, he's wanted to tell everyone since I told him." Olivia stated. "Well, you're what like 10 weeks pregnant?" Abby asked, Olivia nodded. "I think that now would be a good time to go public with this. It won't be too long before little Olivia decides to make an appearance. I know you are nervous about how people will react, but Olivia so much has changed in the past few months. People love you now, they are not going to turn their back on you because you got pregnant." Abby reassured her. "What if people figure out we got pregnant before we got married? Sally Langston would have a field day with that story. She is constantly talking about how Godless and immoral this administration is. What's more Godless and immoral than a man knocking up his mistress?" Olivia added.

"First, screw Sally Langston she likes to pretend that's she is better than everyone else and that she is pro-life when everyone on the inside knows she got her daughter an abortion while she was still in Junior High. Second, be vague about the time-line, it's nobody's business. And third, you are not the man's mistress. Nobody thinks of you as his mistress anymore, except maybe you. You are Olivia Pope, you pulled off the impossible. People went from hating you and sending you death threats to loving you practically over-night. You are a miracle worker." Abby said trying to comfort her friend. "It's Grant." Olivia corrected. Causing Abby to laugh. "Old habits, my apologies." She said. "No worries, thanks Abby I didn't realize just how much I needed to vent." She said as she stood up to leave. "No problem, my door is always open. And let me know for sure when you tell people so that I am prepared when people start badgering me about it on the podium." Abby said as she hugged her friend goodbye. "I will, thanks Abby."

After eating dinner Fitz and Olivia made their way to the Capitol Building for the State of the Union speech. "How are you feeling?" Olivia asked Fitz as she looked over in his direction. "I feel fine. You act like I've never done this before." He answered. "This is your last one though. This time next year a new President will be sworn in and you will be gone. It's okay to have feelings about that." She assured him. "You know how I feel about that?" He asked. "I feel relieved, I feel overjoyed that you and I will finally get to be normal people. Just you, me and all of those kids that we will have when we get to Vermont." She laughed. "You're funny. Really. Just not 'haha' funny." She said playfully swatting at his chest. As the motor cade arrived at the Capitol Olivia and Fitz make their way inside. "I love you, remember: Thank the people for allowing you to serve. Remind them that they will be in good hands after you leave and remind them that you haven't checked out yet. I'll see you afterward, break a leg." She squeezed his hand before making her way to the theater to take her seat.

Olivia watched in awe as Fitz stood up in front of the podium and gave what could possibly be the last big speech of his career. He had always been so charismatic. He had a way of making people hang on to every word that came out of his mouth. His performance was flawless. As Cyrus often said, he was the greatest politician in the world. He paid credit to the American people for everything that he was able to accomplish during his presidency. He encouraged them to get out and vote for the person who was the best option not just for their party but for their country in the upcoming elections. He also reminded them that even though he was on his way out, it was still business as usual at the White House and that he would work tirelessly to make sure that while he was still in power and the American people were safe in his hand. Towards the end of his speech he gave credit to Olivia, saying that he would not be there if it wasn't for her. When the crowd started clapping she stood up and waved.

As the evening drew to a close Fitz and Olivia were ushered out to the motor cade by their secret service. "I thought you did an amazing job tonight. Very inspired." Olivia applauded him. "My muse deserves all the credit. She is constantly inspiring me to be my best self." He smiled, taking her hand in his. "I've been thinking about something." Olivia began as she turned to face her husband. "Oh? Should I be worried?" He asked. "Not at all." She laughed. "I was thinking, we should start telling people about the baby." Olivia finished. "Wow, this is a change. What brought this on?" Fitz asked her. "Well, I'm still terrified of how people will react. But I'm 10 weeks pregnant, pretty soon I will be in my second trimester and it will be safe to tell people." Olivia confessed. Fitz smiled. "It's a baby Olivia. People love babies. I understand your trepidation, but you need to realize that the people love you now. They love us. The plan worked. It was a little dicey at first, but eventually we found a way to make things work. As far as your clothes getting tighter, you are the only one who can tell." Olivia smiled. "Fitz, I had to order an entirely new wardrobe because nothing fits right, not even my bra." Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not complaining about that." Fitz joked, making her laugh.

"So, when do you want to tell people?" He asked. "Well I got a call today from a local magazine wanting to know how the President and his new wife are going to spend their first Valentine's Day as a married couple. Or if you prefer, we can give the interview together." Olivia suggested. "When do they want to do the interview?" Fitz asked. "Next week." Olivia stated. "Alright, then let's do it. Are you sure you're ready to go public?" He asked her. "No, I still have reservations, but I'm willing to take the leap as long as you are by my side." She admitted. "I'm not going anywhere, I can promise you that." He told her as he placed a kiss on her hand.

After arriving back at the White House, Olivia and Fitz made their way up to the Residence. "How are you feeling?" He asked her. "I'm exhausted, I feel like I haven't slept in days." She admitted. "It's been a long day that's for sure. I still can't believe that by this time next year we will have a 5-month-old." Fitz said as he opened the French doors leading to their bedroom. After turning on the lights Olivia froze in terror. The sight before her made a chill run down her spine and caused her to feel as if the breath had been knocked out of her. "Dad?!" Was all she managed to say.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, stunned. "What, a father can't stop by and see his daughter?" Rowan asked innocently. "Not cute Dad. Why are you here?" Olivia asked. "How did you get in?" Fitz asked. "I thought you were smart enough to stay away from here, you had to know that I would make sure you were sent back to prison." Fitz continued. "The thought crossed my mind, but I think the information I have for you is worth far more than my imprisonment." Rowan replied. "I highly doubt that Dad. Now quit playing games and tell us how you got in." Olivia said. Her dad chuckled. "What, did you really think that Tom Larson was my only person on the inside?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Fitz tense up when her dad mentioned Tom. "After Olivia was kidnapped we did a complete overhaul of our White House staff." Fitz said, trying to make sense of everything. "Yes, you did Mr. President however my job is to defend the Republic. How can I expect to do that if I don't have eyes and ears on the inside?"

"Enough Dad! Just tell us why you are here!" Olivia asked. "Olivia you might consider taking a few yoga breaths. You do have my grandchild to consider now." Olivia looked at her father, confused. "What, you didn't think I heard the conversation you and your husband were having before you turned on the lights?" Rowan asked. "My child is none of your business, now what is this information that you have that you think is going to keep you out of prison?" Olivia asked him. "Andrew Nichols is awake." Her father finally admitted. Olivia's breathing became shallow and quick. The walls began to close in on her and before she knew it she had been transported to that dirty hallway and she was running towards a set of red double doors. The same doors that endlessly haunted her nightmares were now haunting her waking hours as well. "Olivia?" She heard a voice, it sounded faint. Muffled, as if she was under water. "Olivia?" She heard the voice again. This time it was clearer. "LIV?!" She heard the last time. She finally realized the voice was coming from Fitz.

She came to and realized that she was lying in the bed. "What happened?" She asked. "You fainted. I'm calling in the White House doctor to have a look at you." Fitz told her. "I don't need the White House doctor, I'm fine. Andrew Nichols is awake. Did I hear that right?" She asked. "Olivia, you fainted. It could be nothing, but with all of this sudden stress hitting you at once, I don't want to risk it. As far as Andrew Nichols goes, I don't want you to worry about him. I just want you to try and relax right now." Fitz told her. Fitz then called in his Secret Service and had Olivia's father taken to the bunker underneath the White House. "We will figure all of this out at another time. However, it has been a very long day, and I need to make sure that my wife is alright." Fitz said as Rowan was being escorted away. "Don't take too long Mr. President. I wouldn't want another West Angola on our hands would you?" Rowan taunted as he walked out of the room.

"Fitz, really I don't need to see a doctor. I'm perfectly fine. We need to come up with a plan for dealing with my father. He's right, we need to deal with this Andrew Nichols situation soon." Fitz did his best at shushing Olivia getting her to stay calm but to no avail. At that moment a knock was heard at the door. "Doctor Sawyer. I'm fine, my husband worries too much. He just over-reacted." Olivia said as the doctor started checking her vitals. "She is 10 weeks pregnant, and I would rather make sure that this is nothing serious." Fitz countered as the doctor checked her heart. "Well, Mrs. Grant you're blood pressure is pretty low. It's not uncommon in the first trimester of pregnancy to have drops in your blood pressure, however just to be on the safe side I would like for you to see your regular doctor. Until then, I would feel more comfortable if you took it easy." The doctor told them as he put away his blood pressure cuff and his stethoscope. "Thank you, Doctor Sawyer, I will make sure that she sees her doctor as soon as possible." He said shaking the doctor's hand. "Mr. President, always an honor to serve you. Mrs. Grant, congratulations." He said turning to Olivia. "Thank you." She said as Fitz showed the doctor to the door.

"Well, are you happy now?" Olivia asked him. "I'm fine, you are worrying for no reason." Fitz sat down on the bed next to her. "We will know for sure when we can get in to see your doctor. As far as me being happy, not so much. Your father shows up here out of nowhere to tell us that Andrew Nichols is awake. However, all of that can wait. It has been a long day and I would feel much better if you would get some rest. We will call make an appointment with your doctor in the morning, and I will deal with your father." He said as he got up off the bed and began to change. "Olivia followed suit.

Once in bed, Fitz fell asleep seemingly as soon as his head hit the pillow. Olivia on the other hand, could not seem to find sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she could see it. The red doors at the end of the dingy, dirty corridor. The smell of the bathroom, the fake death of her cellmate who ended up not being her cellmate at all, but her captor. The man she killed in her attempt to escape. The actual death of her captor right in front of her. She could still feel his blood on her face. The man behind all of this torment had only done that to her as a means of controlling the president. Would he do it again? How would things change now that she was his wife? Would he somehow use her and her child to control Fitz again? Could her father be trusted? Who was his man on the inside? The questions never seemed to stop.

The next morning Olivia woke up find to Fitz getting dressed. "Why didn't you wake me?" She asked sitting up in bed. Fitz turned around to look at her. "Good morning. I didn't want to wake you." He said as he crossed over to the bed to kiss her. "Why not? It's Saturday, I've got several tours to give today." She told him. "It's taken care of. I got your Chief-of-Staff to cover it." He said casually. "Fitz, why would you do that?" She asked, irritated. "Olivia, you passed out last night. I heard what the doctor said but I would feel better if you played it safe today." He said as he adjusted his tie. "Now, I'm off to try and figure out who is your father's guy on the inside." Olivia sat there quietly. "What do you make of Andrew Nichols?" She finally asked as he was headed towards the door. "Olivia, I don't want you to worry about it. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I've got Marines standing guard until I get a better idea of which agents we can trust. In the meantime, I want you to take it easy. I'll let you know when I'm free and we can get lunch." With that Fitz was out the door.

After grabbing some breakfast Olivia decided to visit her father. She wanted answers and she was hoping her father could provide them. She made her way down the tunnels and to the bunker where her father was being detained. Upon open the door she saw her father handcuffed to a table. "Olivia thank God. How are you doing this morning? I've been worried about you. No one has told me anything." Olivia sat down next to him. "You can skip the concerned father routine. And answer some of my questions." She told her father. He chuckled. "It's not a routine Olivia, despite the fact that you think I am an evil monster I _do_ love my daughter. When you passed out last night the only thing I could think of was something was wrong with you or heaven forbid, my grandchild. So tell me, is everything okay with you and the baby?"

"Why did you escape?" She asked ignoring his question. "It's prison, Olivia why do you think I escaped?" He answered. "Dad, answer my question." She pressed. "Then answer mine." Her father pressed back. "We are fine, the White House doctor says it was just low blood pressure. It's normal in the first trimester." Olivia sighed. "Why did you escape?" She asked again. "Someone wanted me dead. They tried twice, if I hadn't escaped I would be dead right now." He told her. "How did you find out about Andrew Nichols? And why do you care now? You didn't care when he had me kidnapped." She asked. "He had you kidnapped and sold on the dark web, I have made it my business to keep tabs on him. And to answer you other question I have always cared Olivia. You are my only daughter, as far as me not caring. I merely took a step back, you said that you didn't need me anymore, look how that worked out. I will not make that mistake again. I can't lose you Olivia."

"Who let you in last night? And if they are loyal to you how can we trust them to protect us? The last person you had on the inside killed Fitz's son." Again, he chuckled. "As I said last night it's my job to have someone on the inside because it is my job to protect this republic. As far as Jerry goes, you wanted the man to be re-elected. He was going to lose to Sally Langston. I did what needed to be done for the sake of our republic. It was a win-win. You got your man in the White House for another four years and I got a president that was easily controlled."

"A win-win?! You think Fitz deserved to lose his son? That Mellie did? You think that Karen and Teddy deserved to lose their older brother? Karen had to watch him die and Teddy was so young when it happened that he won't even be able to remember Jerry!" She screamed furiously and slammed her fist on the table. "WHO LET YOU IN LAST NIGHT?" She asked. "Why would I tell you that? My person on the inside is the only link I have to you. God knows you never call and tell me how you are doing. I had to find out that my daughter had a quickie wedding to the president on the night before she was set to testify against him during his impeachment trials from the news. Tell me Olivia, did he marry you because he loves you or did he only marry you to shut you up so that he could remain president?" He asked.

"Why Fitz and I got married is none of your concern. You were in prison when Fitz and I got married so how did you manage to get a man in here while you were locked up?" She asked him. "You think you took my power, you think you dismantled B6-13, you think you took command. You can't take command Olivia! How many times do I have to tell you that power, true power never leaves you. B6-13 is still alive and well, you only pushed us deeper underground. I can get to anyone, at any time, from anywhere. I am your father, and because of that I will always have someone watching out for you because I love you and I want to keep you safe. As long as my guy on the inside remains in place, nothing will happen to you." He told her

"One more thing before I go, how credible a threat is Andrew Nichols?" She asked. "As far as him physically hurting you I wouldn't worry. The man is drinking his meals through a straw, the man can barely write his own name but he is talking. Olivia that spells trouble for both you and the President. While you two may have gotten married to keep West Angola a secret, Andrew Nichols is not covered by spousal privilege. It's only a matter of time before he decides to talk to a reporter about what happened." Her father said. "Because the man is such a patriot? He staged a bombing to make it look like he had been targeted by the West Angola militia and when that didn't work he had me kidnapped and he blackmailed Fitz into a war that he didn't want." Rowan shook his head. "Olivia, even if he did come forward with the truth the only thing that the people are going to hear is that the President went to war for his mistress and then eventually the people are going to realize the two of you played them all for fools. Right now, your approval ratings are phenomenal, higher than any other first lady in recent history but imagine how fast that is going to change when the ugly truth comes out." Olivia sighed. Her father was right. "I should get going, I'm meeting with Fitz for lunch." She said as she walked out of the room.

On her way to the West Wing Olivia ran into Abby in the hallway. "Olivia, hey the president told me what happened last night. Are you okay?" She asked. "Yeah, fine it was just a fainting spell. The doctor said it was just low blood pressure, nothing to worry about." Olivia said brushing it off. Abby grabbed Olivia by the arm and pulled her into her office. "I was talking about your father. You fainted? Is the baby okay?" Abby asked, trying to keep her voice down. "Yes, everything is fine but that doesn't change the fact that my husband is completely over reacting." Olivia told Abby. "He has every right to, this is his child too. Are you sure everything is alright?" Abby asked, concerned. "Well, I'm making an appointment with my doctor on Monday just to be sure, but low blood pressure problems are not uncommon in the first trimester." Olivia reassured her. "So how are you dealing with your father?" Abby asked. "I don't know, I just saw him. I want to believe that he's only here because he's concerned about me but I just can't let myself. Anyway, what are you doing here on a Saturday?"

"Whoever said that New York is the city that never sleeps has never been to this town. It's the day after the President's last State of the Union and the media is going crazy asking about what comes next. I got home last night after the sun went down and got back here before the sun came up this morning." Olivia picked up a picture of her and Leo. "How does Leo feel about that? When was the last time you actually saw him?" Olivia asked. "We went away together after the holidays. Other than that, the only time we really spend together is when we're both asleep." Abby admitted. "Do you have plans for Valentine's Day?" Olivia asked putting the picture frame back down where she got it. "We've got reservations at some French place outside of Georgetown. What about you? What are your plans?" Abby asked, trying to deflect. "Nothing major. Probably just a quiet evening just the two of us." Olivia admitted. "Anyway, I should get going. I'm going to meet Fitz in his office for lunch, talk to you later."

"Hi." She said as she opened the door to his office. He had his head buried in stacks of paperwork. "Hi." He said without even bothering to look up at her. "How was your visit with your father?" He asked sounding annoyed. "It was fine. How did you know…" She began before he cut her off. "Please Olivia, this is my White House. You didn't think I would know about your little trip to the bunker to visit your father this morning. What happened to you taking it easy?" He asked in a raised voice. "What happened is the man who had me kidnapped and sold on the black market woke up from his coma. What happened is that I had nightmares all night long about when I was taken hostage and used as bait. What happened was my father a man who escaped from prison a month ago, a man who has evaded capture for a month just randomly popped into our bedroom last night! OUR BEDROOM IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SECURE LOCATIONS IN THIS TOWN WAS BROKEN INTO BY THE MAN WHO STAGED MY MOTHER'S DEATH AND HAD YOUR SON KILLED !" Olivia screamed, on the verge of a break down. Rushing to her side, Fitz wrapped his arms around her. "Livvie… ssshhh. We will get this taken care of, I promise you that. We will fix this." Fitz told her trying to calm her down. "He could ruin us. He could ruin this entire administration. Forget equal pay or the Brandon Bill, or even the fact that you married your mistress while you were still in office, if Andrew Nichols talks this will be your legacy."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call yourself my mistress? You were always more to me than that. I know all of this with Andrew Nichols is a lot to process but we will find a way to fix this." He told her. "I'm going to talk to your father later today, hopefully we can get some things figured out. Until then, I want you to take it easy." She nodded. "I've got some things that I need to catch up on, but I can get that done from the Residence. Will I see you for dinner tonight?" She asked. "Yeah, I'll see you then. I love you." He said kissing her forehead. "I love you too. See you tonight." She said as she picked up her purse. "Olivia, I meant what I said, we will figure this out. I don't want you to worry about any of this." He told her as she walked out the door. "Hey Fitz," She asked. "What are you going to do about my father? I know we can't just let him go after everything he has done, but I'm afraid he will die if he goes back to prison." She admitted. "I don't know what we are going to do with him Olivia. It just depends on how good his intel is." He said. "Liv," he started. "Don't worry. Relax. Run a bath, take a nap. Get your mind off of Andrew Nichols and your father." He told her as she was walking out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**So I guess in the last chapter I should have led with the fact that I don't plan for B6-13 to stick around. I wrote it in because it is a large part of who Olivia's father is.**

 **Chapter Seven**

"Grant?" Olivia heard a nurse call out into the lobby. Grabbing her purse, she proceeded towards the door where the nurse was waiting for her. After recording her weight and taking her vitals the nurse informed Olivia that the doctor would be in to see her soon. Tomorrow was her big interview for the Washington Women's Journal and assuming everything went well at the visit today she planned on telling the journal about the baby. She heard a knock at the door and the doctor came walking in. "Mrs. Grant, it's good to see you. It's been about 5 weeks since our last visit how have you been feeling?" The doctor asked her as he took a seat. "I've been okay, the morning sickness seems to be going away. I had a fainting spell a few days ago. When I saw the White House doctor he said it was just low blood pressure." The doctor listened with interest as Olivia discussed her symptoms before speaking. "Well your chart didn't indicate low blood pressure today, so hopefully it was just a one-time thing. We will check on the baby in a minute but first we need to do a physical exam so lets get you in the stirrups and get started."

As Olivia got herself situated she let her mind wander. This was always the thing she hated the most about visits. However it was a necessary evil that she had learned to tolerate since she turned 18. Fitz had wanted to go with her to the doctor's appointment but he had been busy drafting an executive order shutting down B6-13. Olivia and Fitz had both agreed that sending her father back to prison would be tantamount to killing him themselves and neither one of them trusted him to roam free, he remained in Fitz's custody in the White House bunker. Her father still had not identified his man on the inside. All he would admit was that when he said "man" he meant in the broad sense of the word. If her father's main purpose for having a person on the inside was to watch her it would make sense that someone from the East Wing was working for her father. Whether this person was a staffer or an agent remained to be seen, but Fitz assured her that they would find out who this person was.

"Alright. I'm all done down here, now I'd like to preform an ultrasound to confirm the due date and we can make sure that the baby is developing properly. Be prepared this gel is going to be a little bit cold." Dr. Adams told her. Olivia took a deep breath in when she felt the gel on her skin. Soon after she felt the wand moving around her slightly protruding stomach. It wasn't noticeable to anyone but her yet, but her clothes continued to grow increasingly more constricting. The doctor continued moving the wand around her stomach. With every passing second Olivia grew more and more concerned. "Is everything okay?" She asked, starting to feel panicked. No answer, just a look of intense concentration on the doctor's face. After moving the wand one last time she heard it. After what seemed like an eternity of anticipation she heard the fast-paced whooshing sound that finally allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. "Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a heartbeat." Her doctor finally told her. "Everything looks good, the baby's heart sounds strong and healthy. I would put your due date on or around the 28th of August. I'd like to see you again in a month. I'll let you set it up with the receptionist on your way out."

Once back at the White House Olivia made her way to the Residence where dinner was waiting for her when she arrived. "Hi." Olivia said as she walked over to the seat next to Fitz. "Hi." Fitz answered in response. "Dinner smells good, what are we having?" She asked after placing her napkin in her lap. "Roast chicken with garlic asparagus and russet potatoes. How was your doctor's appointment?" He asked. "Good. The baby is healthy and we have a due date." She said as she cut a piece of chicken. "Really? Well, don't keep me in suspense." He said. "August 28th. The doctor also said that my blood pressure was within normal range. My next appointment is at the end of February." Fitz nodded. "I definitely want to go. I'm sorry I didn't go today." He told her. "It's okay. I'm a big girl I can go to a doctor's appointment by myself. I know how busy you have been. How was your day?" She asked. "Well, I spoke to your father this morning. He is asking to speak with you. You don't have to though. Liv you don't owe him anything."

"I know, but maybe he would be more willing to talk to me." She offered. "Olivia, I know he is your father but look at who he is. Look at what he has done. I don't want you getting all worked up because of him." He countered. "I will be fine. I just want this to be over with. If me talking to him helps expedite that process then it's worth a shot isn't it?" She asked. "It's not worth it if all he does is upset you, but you and I both know that you are stubborn and you are going to do what you are going to do." He told her. "You know me too well." She says with a laugh. "I do, I know you better than I know myself sometimes." He admitted with a laugh. "If this kid has half of your willpower we are both in trouble." He joked. "You bet, especially because you still haven't figured out how to say no to me yet." She said as she finished off the last of her chicken. "Are you done for the day? Or are you going back to the office for a little while?" She asked. "I've still got some more things to take care of in the office. I don't know how long I'll be. Don't feel like you have to wait up for me." He told her.

"So are you prepared for the interview tomorrow?" He asked her. "I am. It'll just be a few questions about what it's like being married to the president. Also questions about what we will do for Valentine's Day. What will we be doing for Valentine's Day by the way?" She asked, curiosity evident in her voice. "It's a surprise. There is not a chance in hell that I will tell you. Are you ready to tell them about the baby?" He asked. "I'm nervous. Once I tell them then the cat's out of the bag. I'm afraid this pregnancy won't seem as special once it becomes everyone's business." Fitz nodded, understanding her trepidation. "Olivia, this is our baby. Nothing will take away from that. Nothing will make this any less special because this is me and you doing what we always said we would do. We always said we would get married. We always said that we would move to Vermont and have kids and make jam. This is us doing that. This is us keeping our promise to ourselves." He told her. "Anyway, I have some things to finish in the office. If you are asleep when I get done, I love you and sweet dreams." He said as he kissed her before walking out of the dining room.

Against her better judgement she decided to go visit her father before bed. "Olivia, to what do I owe the honor? Have you decided to come keep your dear old dad company?" Olivia smiled and gave a little laugh. "I came here with the hope that my dear old dad would change his mind." He laughed as Olivia took a seat at the table in his cell. He had been moved into a room with a cot and a table. "Fitz said you were being less than cooperative." She accused. "Olivia, I know this man is your husband and the father of my grandchild but you can do so much better than a whiny man-child who throws a fit when he doesn't get his way." He said coming to sit at the table across from her. "Fitz is a good man, you just don't like him because you would have preferred me to marry one of your 'sons' am I right? Because as I recall you didn't like Edison either, and he was a perfect gentleman." She said. "Neither one of those boys can take care of you." He said. "Dad, I'm a grown woman and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need one of your goons for that. Anyway, your grandchild is why I am here." She said as she slid a small piece of paper across the table towards him. "What is this?" He asked her. "It's a picture from my ultrasound today." She told him. "Why are you showing me this Olivia?" He asked, this time with a more serious tone to his voice. "I'm showing you this because I want my child to have a grandfather. Not Command. Not Rowan. Eli. Eli Pope. The same person who would ramble on and on about some dinosaur that no one has ever heard of before. The Eli Pope that used to play old records for me and let me stand on his feet while he danced. I won't let my child get hurt because of you." Olivia confessed to him. "Why Olivia, I do believe your hormones are getting the best of you." He said, shocked. "This is all the more reason you need someone watching you. You're not thinking rationally. You're letting your emotions get the best of you."  
"End B6-13 Dad. Retire. Go back to work for the Smithsonian, work on a new dinosaur. If you can't, that picture will be the last you see of my child." She told him. "Olivia, it's hard to go back to work for the Smithsonian and work on dinosaurs when I'm being imprisoned down here. And would you really deny your child the right to know his or her grandfather?" He asked. "If you agree to shut down B6-13, for good this time, I can make sure that you get a fresh start. And you denied me the right to my mother when I was growing up so you are the last person to talk." She quipped. "Olivia, your mother is a terrorist. She is only interested in creating chaos and causing destruction all for the sake of a payday." He told her. "And what about what you do Dad? You really think the Republic would falter without you? Democracy would fail? This country has run just fine for centuries without needing B6-13." She pleaded. "Please Dad. When Fitz comes back tomorrow, please work with him." She said. "Do you mind if I take the ultrasound picture back? It's the only one I have." He gave the picture back to her. "Olivia, despite everything that has happened I do love you. I will always want what is best for you." He said. "Goodnight Dad, I hope you think about what I said." She walked out and shut the door behind her.

Olivia was asleep when Fitz finally came back in from the Oval. She woke up when he crawled into bed next to her. "What time is it?" She asked, turning over to face Fitz. "It's nearly 11." He whispered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He said pushing her hair out of her face. "What time is the interview in the morning?" He asked. "8 am sharp. Her name is Melanie Morales and we are meeting her in the Yellow Room." She answered. "Did you take care of everything that needed to be taken care of?" She asked him. "Most of it. The rest can wait until tomorrow. I just couldn't wait to come crawl into bed next to my beautiful wife." He added with a smile. "You are so full of it, mister." She teased. "Anyway, I am exhausted. I'm going back to sleep, I love you." She said kissing him. "I love you too Livvie. Goodnight." He said as he wrapped an arm around her and went to sleep.

"So how was your visit with your father last night?" Fitz asked the next morning while they were both getting ready for their day. "It was okay, I'm not really sure if I got through to him though. But I may have told him that if he agrees to end B6-13 you could give him a fresh start." She told him. "In other words, pardon your father. Your father the murderer. Liv why would you do that?" He asked. "Isn't it worth it to have B6-13 shut down for good?" She asked. "Liv, I still don't feel right about this." He told her. "Would you rather have my dad in custody forever or would you rather shut down B6-13 for good?" She asked him. "Alright. I'll visit with your father this afternoon and see what we can agree to. In the mean time we are supposed to be meeting with that reporter from the Washington Women's Journal in 30 minutes in the Yellow Room." Olivia fixed his tie for him. "By the way, I don't think I ever showed you this last night she said as she went to retrieve the ultrasound picture. "No, you didn't share this with me. Livvie, this is absolutely amazing. This is amazing." He said leaning down to kiss her.

Once arriving at the Yellow Room, Olivia stopped him before they went inside to meet with the reporter. "Are you ready?" She asked him. "I'm fine, how are you?" He asked. "Honestly, I feel like I might be sick." She told him. "Are you still having morning sickness?" He asked her. "A little, but that's not what this is. This is just nerves. I'm absolutely terrified of coming forward." Fitz smiled. "Olivia breathe, if you need help I'll be right here. Just squeeze my hand and I'll jump in." He reassured her. "I'm supposed to be the one giving pep talks mister." She joked as she took his hand and entered the Yellow Room.

"Hi you must be Melanie Morales. It's so nice to meet you." Olivia said reaching out to shake the reporter's hand. "Madam First Lady, Mr. President. May I say how honored I am to be sitting down with the both of you?" She said shaking Olivia's hand and then Fitz's. "Oh please call me Olivia, it's our pleasure to sit down and talk with you today." Olivia said offering Melanie a seat on the couch opposite her. "Olivia let me just say that I am inspired by how active you have been in raising awareness concerning human trafficking. What is it about this issue that made you want to tackle this issue?" Melanie asked. "Well it's an issue that has been around for several years now, but it's a problem that no one really knows how to tackle because no one really knows how to talk about it. It is my hope that in working with The Voice of Hope we will be able to create a dialogue that will allow parents, educators and students to be open and honest with each other." Olivia answered. "Well it sounds like The Voice of Hope is lucky to have found a champion as well-educated as you. You attended Princeton and Georgetown am I correct?" Melanie asked. "Yes, that is correct. That is actually how I came to know Fitz. My friend and mentor is his Chief-of-Staff, Cyrus Beene." Olivia said. "Really? Talk about fate." Melanie added. "It was definitely fate." Fitz cut in. "I met the woman who first became my best friend and eventually my wife." He finished with a charming smile.

"Speaking of your relationship, you have been married for a little over two months now am I right?" Fitz and Olivia both nod. "With your first Valentine's Day as a married couple coming up will you be doing anything special for your wife Mr. President?" Melanie asked Fitz. He smiled that charming smile of his. "Yes, I most definitely have something special planned for Olivia this Valentine's Day. However, it is a surprise. So as charming as you are Ms. Morales, I'm afraid I can't tell you." He said coyly. "How romantic, can I just say you are one lucky woman?" Melanie asked Olivia. "I am very lucky." She agrees. "It's no secret that you're quite the wine enthusiast," Melanie began. "what wine do you think you will be enjoying on your Valentine's date this year?" Olivia took a deep breath and squeezed her husband's hand. "Well," she began. "I will be taking a break from wine for a little while. Not too long ago Fitz and I found out that we are going to have a baby this fall." Olivia said turning back to Fitz and beaming. "Wow, congratulations! That certainly is happy news indeed." Melanie congratulated them. "Thank you, very much. We feel very blessed." Fitz added. "Forgive me, but I have to ask. When Senator Grant was pregnant with your youngest son, America seemed to get an all-access pass into the pregnancy. What can we expect this time around?" She asked. "Well, I would certainly have to say that it is up to the First Lady. I will support whatever decision she makes." He said wrapping his arm around her. "Well, I would like to thank you so much for allowing me to catch a candid glimpse into your life. If you don't mind, I would like to get a couple of quick photos before I go." Melanie said, wrapping up the interview. "Of course not. Just tell us where you want us." Olivia answered.

"Well, you did it. You came forward with the baby news and the world didn't collapse. Oceans didn't boil, and the locusts didn't descend on us. Is it possible that you got worked up over nothing?" Fitz asked her, walking out of the Yellow Room after they finished taking pictures. "That remains to be seen." Olivia said, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. "So, what is on your agenda for the rest of the day?" She asked him. "Well, I'm going to meet with your father. Hopefully you got through to him last night. Then I've got back to back meetings this afternoon." He told her wrapping his hand around the small of her back. "I hope that you and my father can get something figured out." Olivia told him. "What about you? What are you doing with the rest of your day?" He asked her. "Well I'm getting ready for the State Dinner next week. Mitch and I still have some last-minute details to work out." She told him. "Well, I guess I will see you tonight then. I love you." He said as he gave her a quick kiss. "Love you too." She said as she walked off towards the East Wing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"My Chief-of-Staff left her letter of resignation on my desk this morning." Olivia said storming into the room. "You don't say, what do you think made her do that?" Her father asked, not even bothering to turn around to face her. "Don't play dumb with me Dad. You and I both know that she was the person you had on the inside watching me." She speculated. "You think so?" He asked finally turning around to face her. "What did I say about not playing dumb with me?" She asked. "Is it a crime to want to know how my daughter is doing?" He asked innocently. "No, but stalking is." She said. "Answer me this, if I had called would you have picked up?" He asked. No answer. "My point exactly. I worry about my daughter. I am concerned for her safety. Given the fact that she was kidnapped and sold twice online I would say that is cause for concern for a parent." Olivia sighed. "Dad, Fitz said you are refusing to cooperate. What is it going to take? It's been two weeks." Olivia pleaded. "How was the State Dinner last week?" He asked.

"What?" She asked, dumbfounded. "How was the State Dinner last week? You want to know what it's going to take? This is it. You and me having a normal conversation like a normal father and daughter. So tell me, how was the State Dinner last week?" He asked again. "It was fine. The President of France and his wife are perfectly lovely people. Talk to Fitz." She said, irritation showing in her voice. "That's it? They're perfectly lovely people?" Her father prodded. "It went well. Fitz and the French President talked US and French relations in the Middle East. While his wife and I talked about ways to take my initiative global." She told him. "That's my baby. Who says that the First Lady is _only_ the White House hostess." He said with a chuckle. "Dad, why won't you deal with Fitz. The faster you make a deal with him, the faster you can get out of here. End B613. Be a boring curator at the Smithsonian. Be a father, be a grandfather." She pleaded with him once more.

"Olivia, you majored in Political Science at Princeton. That's what you chose to major in that cost me all that money?" Rowan inquired. "Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" She asked. "Were you absent the day they taught you that as soon as one faction is taken out another, often more unstable faction takes its place?" He asked her. "B613 should never have existed. Not to the extent that it did anyway." She noted. "The JFK assassination, Watergate… These are only two examples of why B613 was created. To protect the republic from crumbling to the ground." He told her. "Where were you when Fitz was almost assassinated? Why weren't your people out 'protecting the republic' then?" She asked. "That was unfortunate," he began. "Fortunate enough, he pulled through. Although, he was not even supposed to be president in the first place. Does the name Samuel Reston ring a bell? Honestly Olivia, I couldn't have stolen an election better myself." He finished. "We are not talking about Defiance, I don't even know how you know about that, but it's not a topic of discussion. And you hate Fitz, don't act like it would have broken your heart if he had died." She seethed.

"My heart? No. Your heart? Yes. For whatever reason you are in love with that man, and his death would have been your undoing." Rowan told her. "What about Edison? You didn't care about my heart when you had Edison put in the hospital." She shot back. "Olivia, that man was never right for you, tell me I am wrong. You never loved him, even when you agreed to marry him." Was her father's response. "So you try to have him killed?" Olivia asked. "Olivia, if I wanted him dead, he would have been dead." He told her. "Dad, we're getting off topic here, what will it take for you to shut down B613?" She asked him. "Sunday dinners. With you, the baby and your _husband._ " The last word exiting his mouth as if it were poison. "Sunday dinners, that's all?" She asked, baffled. "Yes, and seeing as how Fitz is now your husband, he is welcome too." He told her. "How touching. I think we can make Sunday dinners work. I'll let Fitz know." She told him, picking up her purse and walking towards the exit. "Goodbye Dad. Once you talk to Fitz, we will talk about Sunday dinner."

On her way back to her office Olivia ran into Abby. "Abby hey, what brings you here?" Olivia asked. "You did, we made plans to meet up yesterday remember?" Olivia stared at her blankly. "I completely spaced Abby I am so sorry." Olivia explained. "It's cool, no worries. Isn't it too early for hormones to be scrambling your brain?" Abby joked. "Yes, and like I said I apologize. It's just been a crazy morning. First my Chief-of-Staff resigned with no warning, and then I had to deal with my father and his craziness but I think I got the Dad situation figured out at least." Olivia offered.

Olivia opened up the door to her office to let Abby in. "So the rumors are true then? Papa Pope is in the building?" Abby asked. "Yes, we are trying to get him to relinquish control of B613. He is the reason I no longer have a Chief-of-Staff to be honest. She was working for him. Keeping tabs on me, reporting my every move back to him. I don't know why I never thought of it before. She had access to my schedule, she knew where I would be and what I would be doing every second of every day." Olivia rambled. "Who do you have in mind for your new Chief-of-Staff?" Abby asked. "I've got a few names in mind. I just have to run them by the Secret Service." Olivia explained. "How are things with you?" Olivia asked. "Busy. Between the President's last State of the Union address, your pregnancy announcement and the State Dinner last week I have barely had time to sleep much less see my boyfriend." Abby explained. "You complain about it now, but you will miss it next year when you'll be gone." Olivia told her. "That remains to be seen. At least I'll actually have time to see my boyfriend. What about you? You haven't said much about your plans after Fitz leaves office."

"Vermont. It's always been our dream. He had a house built for us a couple of years ago. But I honestly never felt like it would actually happen. It was always supposed to be us raising a family together." Olivia told her. "Wow. What about OPA? Are you just going to leave Huck and Quinn twisting in the wind?" Abby asked Olivia. "It's handled Abby. I would never leave them without making sure they are taking care of." Olivia reassured her. Something caught Olivia's eye and she turned the volume on her tv up. "What do you know about this?" Olivia asked referring to the news story about three American soldiers being kidnapped from a military base in Turkey. "No, I have not… I have to go. We'll catch up later. Bye Liv." Abby said as she rushed out the door.

"Mrs. Grant… Senator Grant is here to see you." Her receptionist announced. "Thanks Diana. Send her in." A minute later Mellie walked in. "Senator Grant, please have a seat. What brings you by during the middle of the day?" Olivia asked motioning for Mellie to take a seat. "My children do." Mellie said succinctly. "I don't follow, are they okay? Should this be a conversation you have with Fitz?" Olivia asked. "No, you're the woman I need to talk to. I don't want my kids to feel like they are being replaced. With you and Fitz announcing the new baby it just makes me wonder whether or not Fitz will remember his other children. Teddy thank goodness is too young to fully understand what is going on but Karen is a teenager. Though she would never admit it, she feels like she is being left behind. Her relationship with her father is strained as it is. I don't want her resenting her new sibling the way I resented my sister." Mellie said. "Mellie, I can assure you that I never meant to make Karen or Teddy feel as if they had been replaced. Fitz will always be their father no matter what and I know how much he loves them." Olivia began. "I know you never meant for them to feel left out, but Liv… There are no words that even begin to express my disdain for my sister. I don't want that for our kids. In order to keep that from happening we have to make an effort to put aside our differences and at the very least be civil with one another."  
"I agree I don't want for any of the kids to feel as if they don't belong." Olivia repeated. "Good, now that we are on the same page I should let you know that as per our custody arrangement Karen will be spending Spring Break here. Maybe you might want to tell her what you just told me." Mellie said. "As for Teddy. He misses his dad. You might want to remind your husband of that." Mellie said coldly. "Anyway, as you pointed out. It's the middle of the day. I have a job to get back to. Karen's Spring Break is the second week of March by the way. You might want to remind Fitz." Mellie said as she stood up to leave. "Of course. Have a good day Senator." Olivia said as she showed Mellie out.

Later that evening, Olivia decided to go out on to the Truman Balcony to get some fresh air. "Hi." Fitz said as she opened the doors leading to the balcony. "Hi. I figured you would still be working." Olivia greeted him. "Nothing else I can do tonight. What did you say to your father by the way? He agreed to my terms." Fitz said. "He wants Sunday dinners. You, me, the baby. He wants family dinners again." She told him. "He's been yanking our chain for weeks over family dinner?" Fitz asked. "So did you do it?" She asked. "Signed the executive order a few hours ago." He said with a smile. "So it's over? No more puppet master pulling your strings? You're free Pinocchio." She said with a smile ever wider than his. "Well, there's still Cyrus." He joked. "What are you going to do about the soldiers in Turkey?" She asked. "Well, it's still early. Right now we are just gathering as much intel as we can." He told her. "Have there been any demands? Has anyone claimed responsibility?"

"Not yet, like I said. It's still early." He said. "When the time comes, you'll make the right call." She reassured him. "Mellie came by to see me today. She is worried about the kids." Fitz looked at her with a worried expression on his face. "Are they okay? Why didn't she come to me?" Fitz asked. "They are fine. She just wanted me to remind you that Karen's Spring Break is the second week of March, and Teddy misses you." Olivia said. "Why wouldn't she come to me with this?" Fitz asked her. "She is worried that the kids will end up feeling like they don't belong. She is afraid that once the baby is born that they will no longer feel welcome here." Olivia continued. "That's ridiculous. Teddy and Karen will always be mine. I will always love them, no matter how many kids we have."

"I know that and you know that, but they are young. They might need to be reminded of that. Especially Karen. Being a teenage girl is hard. Being a teenage girl who feels like her father doesn't want her anymore is even harder." Olivia explained to him. Fitz nodded in understanding. "I haven't exactly been the best father lately. I don't even know what to say to Karen anymore. She is growing up so fast I hardly recognize her." He admitted. "All the more reason to reconnect with her. Be the adult. Reach out to her. Even if she doesn't accept right away just let her know that you're there when she's ready." Olivia told him. "It's not right that someone so beautiful can also be so smart." She laughed at him. "That's why you love me." She teased. "It's one of the reasons." He said grabbing her waist. "Oh yeah, what are the other reasons?" She asked with a playful tone in her voice. "Well, you're extremely confident. You can walk into any room and command everyone's attention." He said as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. "What else?" She asked him. "You're exceedingly honest. You always say what needs to be said, even if it's not what the other person wants to hear." He said kissing the base of her neck. "Is that all?" She asked. "You know what I love the most about you?" He asked. "What?" She asked him. "You're all mine. By some miracle you have made me the luckiest man in the world by choosing me." He said kissing the spot on her neck that always made her weak.

"Fitz…" Olivia breathed. He led her back into their bedroom without taking his mouth off of hers. Once inside Olivia's hands worked their way up and down his torso. Everything that had been weighing on her for the last few weeks had suddenly dissipated and all she could think of was Fitz. The way his tongue felt in her mouth, the way his hands felt on the small of her back, and the way he would feel once he was inside of her. At once she began unbuttoning his shirt. "Livvie, I've missed this." He said once she began kissing her way down his chest and towards his stomach. At once she began undoing his belt and proceeded to remove his pants. After his pants were gone she took a hand and started massaging him over his boxers. "Oh Livvie. That feels so good." He moans. She smiles upon hearing this and removes his boxers. She takes him in her hand and begins to stroke him slowly and firmly. She kisses the tip at first and then takes her tongue and begins licking him up and down before taking him into her mouth.

His moans of ecstasy encourage her to pick up the pace. Just as quickly as she starts, she stops. Causing Fitz to moan an inaudible protest. She then stands up and takes off her own clothes. After deciding that she was taking too long, Fitz pushes her hands away and begins tearing at her clothes like a mad man. When only her bra and panties remain, he leads her back to the bed. He climbs on top of her takes her breasts in his hands. Her breasts are not as tender as they have been recently, so she does not object when he starts massaging them. Instead, a slight moan escapes her lips. He lets down the straps of her bra and begins kissing her shoulder and continues down her arm. She arches her back, allowing him to unhook her bra. Once her bra is gone he takes one of her breasts in his mouth and starts sucking. His tongue swirling around her nipple causes her to lose control. "F… itz…" Is all she manages to get out. After he gets done with one, he starts working on the other. "God Livvie, you taste so good." He moans.

When he is done with her breasts he begins placing kisses down her chest and to her stomach. Which is showing by now, but looks more like she ate a big lunch than anything else. When he gets to her waistline he begins placing kisses along her waist. Deciding that he was taking too long she began taking her panties off herself. Once they were gone Fitz began kissing her inner thigh and worked his way in. Once he reached his destination he took her into his mouth and started sucking and licking circles around her clit. Unable to control her pleasure, she buried her hands into his hair and let out moans of satisfaction. While his tongue was still working its magic, he took his first two fingers and started pumping in and out of her causing her hips to buck up and down, needing more of him inside of her.

"Oh god, Fitz! Stop teasing me." She cried out. Upon hearing that, he took his penis in his hand and began teasing her the opening of her vagina with the tip. Gently he pushed inside of her causing the both of them to moan. Her face contorted in pleasure. "That's better." She said breathlessly. Slowly, he began to pump in and out of her. "MMM… Sweet baby, you feel so good." He told her as her orgasm caused her muscles to close around him. "Harder, Fitz. Faster." She panted. He repositioned one of her legs so that he could give her what she wanted. "Yes, just like that." Olivia moaned. "Liv, I'm so close." He panted breathlessly. She then took his hand and began to suck on his thumb causing him to fall over the edge. After he finished, he fell onto the bed beside her. "Wow." Was all she managed to say. "Yeah." He panted.

Olivia rested her head on Fitz's chest and listened to his heart beating. "So, any idea who you're going to get to replace your Chief-of-Staff?" He asked, running a finger down her back. "I handed over my short list to my Secret Service today. My first choice is Jennifer Summers. She is a solid choice. It just depends on what my agents dig up on her." Olivia said. "You'll find someone." He reassured her. "So how would you feel about Teddy spending the weekend with us?" Fitz asked her. "I would love that. We've never really spent a whole lot of time together. I've never really spent time with kids his age before." She confessed. "It'll be fun. You will be fine. He will love you. Just like his father does." He told her. As he kissed her forehead. "What should we do? If it weren't February I would suggest taking him swimming, we could watch a movie in the theater. You think he would like that?" Olivia asked. "I think he would love that. Just relax, you're going to be just fine." He told her. "I hope so. How can I expect to be a good mother if children hate me?" She panicked. "Ssshhh. You are going to be fine just breath." He reassured her. "Now, I'm exhausted. Goodnight Livvie, I love you." He said turning off the lamp on his side of the bed. "Night, I love you too." She said rolling over to go to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry this has taken so long. I took a little mini-vacation with some girlfriends and saw Ed Sheeran in concert. When I returned however, I was at a complete loss when it came to writing this chapter. so without further ado, here is chapter 9.**

 **Chapter Nine**

"Teddy? Where are you?" Fitz asked crawling around the floor playing hide-and-seek with his son. It had been an hour since Mellie dropped him off. To say that Fitz was overjoyed would have been an understatement. "Olivia, have you seen Teddy? I have no idea where he is hiding!" A muffled giggle came from the bathroom. "I haven't seen him, have you tried looking under the bed? Maybe that's where he is hiding." She offered, pretending not to hear his amused giggles. The entire week leading up to Teddy's visit Fitz had been in a perpetual state of bliss. This had been the first time since Olivia and Fitz got married that Teddy had stayed with them. That wasn't by Fitz's choosing however. Things with him and Mellie had ended unpleasantly. In all honesty, he was afraid that pushing Mellie would backfire on him so he left it alone. The phone by the bedside table rang so Olivia walked over to pick it up. "Hello…Alright, thank you." She said hanging up the phone. "That was fast." Fitz said sarcastically. "That was the chef calling to let us know that dinner is ready." She told him. "Sounds good," he began. "Although, I still don't see Teddy anywhere. I guess that means we have to eat without him." Fitz said, loud enough for Teddy to hear from the bathroom.

"Daddy no wait! I'm right here!" The little boy said running out of the bathroom. "There you are… You are such a good hider. I had NO idea where you were." Fitz said enthusiastically. "I was in the bathroom the whole time! I tricked you Daddy." Teddy replied gleefully. "You did trick me. I thought for sure Olivia and I were going to have to eat all of that food by ourselves." The little boy just giggled. "You know what Teddy? Olivia had the chef make your favorite food. What do you say to that?" Fitz asked his little boy as they made their way into the dining room. "Thank you Olibia." The little boy said shyly. "You are very welcome Teddy. Mashed potatoes are my favorite too." She told him. "I thought your favorite was popcorn." Fitz teased. "That too." She laughed.

"Teddy, your Dad tells me that your favorite movie is Toy Story, is that true?" Olivia asked him during dinner. "Uhuh, Buzz Lightyear is my favorite. He's a space ranger that fights aliens. I wanna do that when I get big." Teddy said with enthusiasm. It takes everything in her to stifle a laugh at the young boy's blatant honesty. She looks over to Fitz who is having problems stifling his laughter too. "Well, I think you would be a great astronaut." Olivia nodded. "Daddy?" Teddy began. "What's an astronaut?" He asked looking curiously at Fitz. "That's what Buzz Lightyear is. Astronauts go to space and study the stars and the planets." Teddy's eyes grew big with wonder. "Do they get to fight aliens too?" He asked. "Only the mean ones." Fitz added with a wink. "Cool! I wish I was big already so I could do that." Teddy said in wonderment. "Teddy, do you want to watch Toy Story after dinner?" Olivia asked him. "Yeah, can we Daddy? Please!" He begged. "Of course. Liv and I can't eat all that popcorn by ourselves." Fitz told him. "I like popcorn." The little boy chimed in.

After the movie was over the trio made their way back to the Residence. "Alright buddy, it's bedtime. Let's go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth and then we can read a story." Fitz said picking him up. "I'm not sleepy Daddy. Can't I stay up with you and Olibia?" He asked. "I already let stay up past your bedtime so we could finish the movie. I'll tell you what? How about Olivia comes with us for story time?" Fitz compromised. "Hmm…" Teddy said, thinking about the proposal. "Okay, can Olibia read me the story?" He asked after agreeing to his father's terms. "I'm sure she could. Why don't you ask her?" Fitz offered, giving Teddy a slight nudge. "Olibia, will you read me my bedtime story?" He asked slowly warming up to Olivia. "Sure, you and your daddy get ready for bed and I will read to you when you're done." Olivia told him.

"Daddy?" Teddy asked in a sleepy voice after Olivia had read him a bedtime story. "What buddy?" Fitz replied. "I heard mommy saying that you and Olibia are having a baby. What does that mean?" Teddy asked. Olivia looked at Fitz, knowing that she should have expected the subject to come up sooner or later. "Well," Fitz began. "It means that soon you are going to be a big brother." Fitz explained hoping the conversation wouldn't get too uncomfortable. "Will mommy be the mommy to the new baby too?" Teddy asked. "No," Fitz began. "Olivia will be the new baby's mommy, but I will be the Daddy. Which makes you the big brother and Karen the big sister." He tried to explain in a way that a 4-year-old could understand. "How? Karen is my big sister because we have the same mommy AND the same daddy. But this new baby will have a different mommy than me." Fitz let out an audible sigh, unsure of how to explain further. "Every family looks different. Sometimes siblings have the same mommy and daddy like you and Karen. Other times they only share one parent, like you and the baby have the same daddy. Does that make sense buddy?" Olivia chimed in trying to help Fitz out.

"I guess. Where is the new baby now?" Teddy asked. "Well, right now the baby is still really little so until he or she gets big enough to be born the baby will be living right here." He said placing a hand on Olivia's stomach. "Oh." He said. "How did the baby get there?" Teddy asked. "That is an awfully big question right before bedtime. What do you say we talk about this more tomorrow? I bet we could even find some story books that will explain it better that Daddy can. Does that sound like a plan?" Fitz asked. "Okay…" Teddy said as he yawned. "I love you Daddy." He said in a sleepy voice. "I love you too buddy." Fitz said as he and Olivia stood up to leave. "Goodnight Olibia." Teddy said before Fitz and Olivia could reach the door. "Goodnight Teddy, sweet dreams." Olivia told him as she turned off the lights in his room. "Wait!" He said panicked. "Will you leave my closet light on?" He asked. "Sure, buddy. Not a problem." She said before turning his closet light back on.

"Well that was interesting." Fitz said as he and Olivia were getting ready for bed that night. "Right, I hope I didn't overstep. You just looked like you could use some help." She said putting her pajamas on. "Olivia. I was at a complete loss when he asked me that question. I'm grateful that you stepped in. As for his other question, I've never had to answer that question before." Fitz admitted. "You never had to explain that to Gerry or Karen?" She asked him. "Never. Gerry and Karen were always so close in age Gerry didn't even remember what it was like to be an only child. When Mellie was pregnant with Teddy however, they were both teenagers and knew where babies came from." He answered. "Well, I'm sure if we do some digging, we can find some books that will help him understand a little bit better." She told him as she began removing pillows from the bed.

"I think we learned something today." He said as he began helping her turn down the covers. "Oh yeah?" She asked. "What's that?" She asked. "He likes you." Fitz told her. "You think?" Olivia asked him. "Liv, he asked you to read him a bedtime story. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't like you." Fitz reassured her. "Well, I like him too. I find Grant men to be exceedingly charming. It turns out Teddy is no exception." Fitz smiled. "It runs in the family." He teased. "We're being a little bit arrogant aren't we?" She asked playfully as she climbed into bed. "What you call arrogance I call confidence." Fitz countered. "I wonder when the fear of the dark happened." Fitz mused after he too had crawled into bed. "It's normal for children his age, when I was not much older than him my mom started leaving a flashlight on my bedside table so that when I got scared all I had to do was turn it on to see that there was nothing in the dark to be afraid of." Olivia told him.

"Hey, you okay?" Fitz asked after Olivia fell silent. "I'm fine, it's just this is the first time I've thought about my mom in months. I don't know how I would feel if that was our kid one day." She admitted. "Hey, Liv look at me…" He said firmly. "That's not going to happen. You are not your mother. I am not your father. Things will be different for our child." He reassured her. "You sure you're okay?" He asked. "I just miss her. Is that crazy? In my head I know she is never going to be the mother that I want, but I can't help but miss her. It was so easy for you to believe that my mom killed your son that you called for her to be executed. She shot my father and threatened to kill me. Even though I know all of this I still can't help but miss her. I want to be better for this baby. I don't ever want this baby growing up and feeling the way that I felt." She said, trying not to get emotional. "Hey, hey… Look at me." He soothed. "That is never going to happen. We are all products of our environment. What matters is what kind of parent we choose to be. Do we want to end up like our parents or not? My father was the biggest womanizer I've ever met. He was not that great a father either. I'm not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but I always try my best when it comes to my kids. They are the most important people in my life. It's all about making a conscious effort every day to do better for their sake." Fitz explained.

"You make it sound so easy." Olivia told him. "It's not. It's a struggle, every day. But Liv, you will be nothing like your mother do you want to know how I know that?" He asked. "How?" She asked looking up to meet his eyes. "Because I know you. Because you are caring and generous and compassionate. I know that you will be different because I saw you with Teddy earlier this evening and what I saw took my breath away." Fitz told her. "You have the biggest heart of anyone that I know. When you met Huck he was homeless, living in the subway station. You took him in, you gave him a second chance at life. He now has a steady job and a place to live and that is because of you. Quinn could have gotten the death penalty for the murders of 5 people but you did not give up on her." Fitz said, trying to comfort her. "Quinn was different. The only reason she was framed for murder was because of the role I played in Defiance. Hollis never would have had Cytron blown up if it wasn't for that." She admitted. "You made a mistake. Liv we all make mistakes. What matters is that you didn't let an innocent girl lose her life because of it." He told her.

"You're too forgiving of me." Olivia told him. "I've said it before and I will say it again. "Love allows for forgiveness. You are a good person. If you weren't, Teddy would not have warmed up to you the way he did. Children are exceptionally intuitive Liv. You will be an amazing mother because I see how good you are with Teddy." Fitz told her. "How did I get so lucky?" Olivia asked. "I ask myself that every single day." He said. "You ask yourself how you got so lucky every day?" She asked. "No. I ask myself how you got so lucky every day." He joked as she swatted his chest playfully. "You know what? I take it back." She told him. "I'm kidding." He told her. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I love you." He said kissing her. "I love you too. Goodnight." She said turning over on her side.

The next morning Olivia woke up to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door. "Daddy, I'm hungry. Can I come in?" The little voice asked from the other side of the door. After slipping on her robe, Olivia opened the door for Teddy. "Good morning Teddy, did you have a good night's sleep?" She asked him. "Good morning Olibia. I slept good." He said, still sounding a bit groggy. "What would you say if I had the chef make us waffles for breakfast this morning?" Olivia asked him. His tired eyes lit up. "I love waffles." He exclaimed. "Mine too. Your daddy is still asleep but I bet that you could wake him up." She told him with a mischievous smile on her face. He matched her smile and proceeded to jump into the empty side of the bed. "Daddy wake up! Olibia said we can have waffles!" Teddy said after crawling into bed and gently shaking his father awake. Fitz grumbled incoherently as he sat up on the side of the bed. "I think waffles sound great buddy. We have to get dressed first though okay?" Fitz told him.

"Daddy?" Teddy asked after they all started eating breakfast. "What buddy?" Fitz asked him. "Does the baby eat too?" He asked curiously. Olivia was taken aback by this question and she looked to Fitz to see how he would respond to his son's question. "Of course the baby eats. The baby needs to eat so he or she can grow up to be big and strong." Fitz answered. "Just like me?" Teddy asked. "Just like you." Fitz confirmed. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity for the time being. "Daddy?" He asked again a few minutes later. "How does the baby eat?" He finished, continuing with the same line of questioning. "Well, the baby eats what Olivia eats." Fitz told him. "How?" The little boy asked again. "Remember how your daddy said the baby lives right here?" Olivia asked him resting her hand on her stomach. "That is how the baby eats." Olivia explained to him hoping that would satisfy his curiosity. "Oh," he said. "Okay."

"Daddy? Can we go play race cars now?" Teddy asked after everyone had finished eating breakfast. "Of course we can. Today is all about you. We can play whatever you want." Fitz told him. "Olibia…" He started. "Can you play with us too?" He asked. "I would love to play with you." She said as she began to stand up from the table. "Cool! You can play with my blue race car, that's my favorite but I can share with you." Teddy told her reaching for Olivia's hand. "I think that is very sweet of you. I like the way you share your toys, you are going to be a very good big brother." She told him as he dragged her back to his room with giddy anticipation. "Do you think the baby will like to play with my blue race car too?" He asked. "I'm sure the baby would love that." Olivia told him.

The rest of the weekend had gone by way too fast. Olivia could tell that Fitz did not want Mellie to come pick Teddy up. It had been so long since he had seen Teddy and now that he had, he hated that he could only see his son every other weekend. "This weekend was fun." Olivia told Fitz as they were headed to get Teddy so that Mellie could take him home. He just smiled. He had been quiet ever since lunch when they started helping Teddy get packed to go back home with his mother. "Maybe next time he comes to visit we can take him to the planetarium." She offered. "If he is serious about being just like Buzz Lightyear, he needs to learn about the stars and outer space." Olivia offered. "I think he would love that Liv, we should set that up with the Secret Service." He told her. "Teddy, are you ready buddy?" Fitz asked knocking on his son's door. A few minutes later Teddy opened his door and grabbed Fitz by the hand. "Do I have to go?" Teddy asked. "I'm afraid so buddy. You have to go back with mommy today, but in a few weeks you will get to come back and visit again." Fitz said, kneeling down so he could look Teddy in the eyes.

"But I want to stay with you." Teddy started. "I know you do, and I know it's not fair but you can call me whenever you want. I'm only a phone call away." Fitz tried to reassure his son. "Listen to me though, we are going to be a big boy about this okay? I know you are sad, but when mommy comes to pick you up I need you promise me that will not throw a fit okay. We will see each other again soon. Besides, didn't you miss mommy?" Fitz asked. "I guess, but I miss you too." He said, sadness still evident in his voice. "I know you do buddy. I miss you too but I will call you tonight before you go to bed. Okay?" Fitz said. Olivia's heart broke as she saw the father-son exchange. "Mellie will be here soon." Olivia nudged gently. Fitz then stood up and grabbed Teddy by the hand and escorted him downstairs to wait for Mellie.

When the trio arrived downstairs, they could see Mellie walking through the doors. "Mellie, how was your weekend?" Fitz asked when they finally met face to face. "It was good. I almost didn't know what to do without this little guy around." Mellie began. "Alright buddy, remember what we talked about?" Fitz asked Teddy. "Uhuh. I love you Daddy. I'm going to miss you." He said as he gave Fitz a hug goodbye. "I'm going to miss you too buddy. I love you." Fitz told him. "Goodbye Olibia." Teddy said as he turned to give her a hug. "Bye kiddo, you be good for your mommy okay?" Olivia told him. "Okay, I had fun with you and Daddy this weekend." He told her. "I did too. We'll have even more fun next time okay?" She told him as she returned his hug. "Now, I think your mommy wants a hug too, don't you think?" She asked him. "Uhuh." He said as he went over to Mellie and greeted her. Olivia looked back up at Mellie who was seemingly livid upon seeing the gentle exchange between her son and Olivia. Fitz handed Mellie Teddy's overnight bag and said one last goodbye to the pair of them before they turned and walked out the door.

* * *

 **Let me know what you guys think about Teddy. Part of what took me so long is the fact that I was completely unsure of how to write a convincing child. If anybody has any pointers, I will gladly listen.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: There might be some parts of this story that some people might find uncomfortable. For those of you that might have some questions, some content I wrote about are based on actual case studies from my social justice class when we discussed human trafficking. Also, to my American readers: Happy Thanksgiving! And also Happy Valentine's Day (Sort of ;)).**

 **Chapter Ten**

"Good morning." Olivia heard a voice say. An unintelligible groan escaped her lips. "What time is it?" She asked, not even bothering to open her eyes or otherwise search for the sound of the voice. "It's a little after 6:30, Happy Valentine's Day." Fitz told her as he bent over to kiss her temple. "Ugh… you need to shave Mr. President, and brush your teeth." She told him as she pulled the covers up over her body some more. "I love you too grumpy." Fitz told her as he wondered off to the bathroom. Eventually Olivia decided to get up and get ready for the day. "How did you sleep last night?" Olivia asked when she finally made it into the bathroom. "Not bad, better than you. You tossed and turned all night last night. I was almost tempted to just let you stay in bed and sleep." He told her as he lathered his face with shaving cream. "Something on your mind?" Fitz asked. "No." Olivia told him as she stepped into the shower.

That of course was a complete lie. She had been plagued by nightmares all night long. The Voice of Hope was organizing a fundraiser to earn money to set up a safe space for survivors who were either undergoing therapy before re-entering society or for survivors who were being called to testify in the capitol against their captors. The nightmares she had been experiencing were not unusual. Ever since her kidnapping Olivia had been haunted by nightmares of red doors and long corridors and dingy, disgusting bathrooms. The main difference this time was the crying. She could hear a baby crying from a room somewhere in that hell hole. She knew that it was her baby. Even though she could never find the source of the crying. She knew that it was her baby crying out for help.

She stood underneath the shower head, letting the hot water wash all of her bad dreams down the drain. She had been experiencing those nightmares for the better part of that year. Ever since she had been kidnapped from her apartment. She rarely got nightmares when she was sleeping next to Fitz. They got worse when she was alone at night, but last night was different. She had met with so many survivors in the last week, and many of their stories struck a chord with her. She listened to story after story of people being kidnapped from their home. Gone before anyone else in the house even knew what had happened. Stories of young girls and young boys being auctioned off online. Their fates linked to the people who bought them online. "You okay in there?" Fitz asked, shaking her from her thoughts. "Yeah, fine. The water just feels so good this morning I don't want to get out I guess." She told him. If Fitz knew about these nightmares he would insist she talk to someone. Although honestly what would she say? 'Hi, my name is Olivia and the former Vice President had me kidnapped in order to force the President to go to war with West Angola.'

After showering, fixing her hair, and putting on her make up she made her way to the dressing room. "You ready to tell me what had you tossing and turning all night? You seem distant this morning." Fitz said as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. "Fitz. Do we have to do this?" She asked him. "Do what? Liv, I just asked you a question. Are you feeling alright today?" He asked. Concerned. "Fine, I just don't really want to talk about it." She said, shutting him down. "Liv, talk to me." He urged. "It's nothing. Really. Now, are you going to at least give me a hint about my Valentine's surprise?" She asked, changing the subject. "Liv, I think you can wait a few more hours for that don't you?" He asked with a smile. "I suppose. Even though you know I hate surprises." She sighed. "Liv. It's nine hours. What do you have planned for lunch today?" He asked as he walked up behind her and placed his arms around her. "Abby and I are having lunch together in my office, why? I can cancel if you have something planned." She told him. Trying to get something out of him. "No, nothing planned. I just wondered what you were doing during lunch." He said. "Just lunch with Abby." Olivia told him. "When are you giving that tour of the White House again?" He asked her. "8:00. We should be done by 9:30. After that I've got a meeting with Jennifer to discuss the fundraiser at the Voice of Hope. After lunch I will be heading out tour the new homeless shelter in Alexandria." She told him as she double checked her appearance in the mirror before she left. "I love you." She told Fitz as she kissed his cheek before walking out the door.

After finishing with the tour, she made her way back to her office. After spending 90 minutes corralling 30 seven-year-old children she felt exhausted. She had no idea how teachers did that all day long. "Good morning Mrs. Grant. Your chief of staff is waiting in your office." Diana said as she greeted Olivia. "Thank you, Diana." Olivia said as she walked into her office. "Good morning Mrs. Grant, how was the tour this morning?" Jennifer, her chief-of-staff asked her. "Crazy. Makes me glad I never became a teacher." Olivia joked. "Amen to that. These flowers were waiting here for you when I got here. Looks like somebody's husband remembered Valentine's Day." Jennifer told her as she nodded to the roses that were sitting on Olivia's desk. "Looks that way. So are we all set up at the Ritz-Carlton?" She asked. "Yes, the fundraiser is scheduled for two weeks from now. The CFO of the Voice of Hope will be giving the key note address. There will be a few survivors speaking and giving their stories, then you will give a speech explaining what an honor it is to be working with the Voice of Hope in building this housing community. Take a few pictures, kiss a few babies, shake some hands. Typical duties of the First Lady." Her chief of staff said.

"How many babies are expected to be there? It's a fundraiser for victims of human trafficking." Olivia said. "Some of the women speaking have had children while in captivity. Others were sold into the life themselves." Jennifer said nonchalantly. "How old are these babies?" Olivia asked. "There is a 7-month-old that was 3-months old when he was taken. As I understand it, he was rescued last month by the Metro Police." Her chief of staff explained. "So what? We are just going to exploit that poor child even more?" Olivia asked indignantly. "What about his parents?" Olivia asked. "He doesn't have any. From what I understand his foster parents were the ones who sold him in the first place. That is why he is there, to bring attention to the fact that many of these children need loving homes that will take care of them." Jennifer told her. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that." Olivia told her. "It's one thing to hear stories from survivors who are old enough to consent. But to prey on vulnerable children in such a public way, I don't like it." Olivia said.

"Think about how much money the donors will throw at the foundation when they find out what happened to these kids." Jennifer pushed. "Do you have children?" Olivia asked. "No, I don't." Her chief of staff admitted. "Imagine for a second that you did. Then imagine for a second that something this cruel and barbaric happened to your child. Then against all odds, your child comes back to you. Now, imagine that someone wanted to manipulate your child yet again. This time, for the sake of an organization that is using your child to make money." Olivia was livid at this point. "Ma'am, I understand this is a touchy subject. Think about the money that will be thrown at the organization. That is, after all the whole point of a fundraiser." Jennifer urged. "We are not using these children for photo ops, or fundraising ploys. If that is their plan, then tell them I am out." Olivia said, putting her hands on her head. "Okay, I will do that ma'am." Jennifer said as she walked out of Olivia's office.

Stressed, Olivia made her way back to her desk to relax. She tried to take a few relaxing breaths before rubbing a few drops of peppermint oil on her temples to combat the headache that was forming. After she had calmed herself down, she decided to take a look at the flowers sitting on her desk. She smiled, and wondered if this was part of her Valentine's Day surprise. Noticing a white card hidden inside the flowers, Olivia took it in her hand and began reading. The sweet, loving feeling that she felt only moments before vanished. Instead, confusion and panic took their place as she read the contents of the card. _I know the truth._ "Diana," she called over the intercom. "Yes ma'am?" She asked. "Who delivered these flowers?" Olivia asked. "A flower delivery service dropped them off this morning. The secret service inspected them, there was nothing suspicious about them." Diana told her. "What about the card?" Olivia asked. "Ma'am, there was no card." Diana told her. "Right, okay. Thank you." Olivia said. "You're welcome ma'am." Diana told her.

Feeling overcome with confusion Olivia placed a call to Fitz. "Mr. President, I got your flowers…I did, thank you…what's up with the note though?" She asked. "…what do you mean you didn't leave a note, I'm holding it right in my hand…Right, well thank you for the flowers." Something in her gut told her something was not quite right. However, it was only a note, so she decided to put it out of her mind and focus on her work. A few minutes later there was a knock at her door. "Yes?" Olivia asked. "Ms. Wheelan is here to see you ma'am." Diana said opening the door. "Thank you, send her in." Olivia said. "I come bearing Gettysburger." Abby told her holding up two sacks of food. "Thank you. It smells wonderful." Olivia said, motioning for Abby to sit. "It looks like someone is getting lucky tonight." Abby said noticing the flowers on her desk. "Really Abby?" Olivia asked. "What? We're both big girls here." Abby said.

"Speaking of getting lucky tonight. Do you and Leo have anything planned?" Olivia asked. "We have reservations tonight at that Italian place. Afterward, well… we'll see what happens." Abby said coyly. "How are things in the West Wing this morning? God I miss it over there." Olivia told her. "Things in the West Wing are crazy this morning. Sally Langston is ripping into this administration for not doing more to locate the missing soldiers. What else does she expect him to do? He's got the CIA and the FBI working intelligence and he's got a SEAL team on stand-by." Abby fumed. "That's all he can do until they know more. However, as I understand it no one has even claimed responsibility yet." Olivia offered. "Thank you, the President's approval ratings are looking worse and worse the longer it looks like he is just sitting around doing nothing." Abby told her. "Not doing anything until he knows more is the smart call." Olivia reminded her. "Tell that to the press. They are hounding me constantly about why the president refuses to act." Abby explained. "What did you tell them?" Olivia asked. "That the president is waiting to have all the facts before he decides on a course of action." Abby told her. "He is getting crucified by the left AND the right." Abby told her. "What else is new?" Olivia responded.

Abby's face lit up, as if she just thought of some ingenious idea. "Liv?" Olivia looked up from her burger. "What?" She asked. "You should do a gender reveal. It would do wonders to boost Grant's approval ratings." Abby told her. "No, Abby. I'm not using my child to garner political capitol for my husband. Besides, the whole gender reveal concept is too overplayed." Olivia told her. "Okay, if you say so. I'm just trying to help my boss out. "Our next doctor's appointment is not for another two weeks anyway." Olivia told Abby. "Just a thought. By the way, we haven't talked since your visit with Teddy. How did that go?" Abby asked Olivia. "It went well. I'm not going to lie I was really nervous at first but he is just such an easy-going kid. He made it easy to love him." Olivia gushed. "Well, he is a Grant. Grant men are charismatic and charming by nature." Abby told her.

"I can tell that Fitz misses him. It's been so long since Fitz has seen him, and now only having him every other weekend it's just not enough." Olivia explained. "Doesn't the president have a 50/50 split with Mellie?" Abby asked. "With Karen yes, but when it came to Teddy she refused. Saying that he is too little to be away from his mother for that long." Olivia told Abby. "I thought he seemed a little bit off this week, I thought it was just Sally and her _lovers of liberty._ " Abby mused. "That too. He misses his kids though, that has a lot to do with it." Olivia told Abby. "So, tell me more about the Teddy visit." Abby prodded. "Well his first night there we watched Toy Story, it is his _favorite_ movie after all. After the movie was over we read him his bedtime story. That's when he asked it." Olivia said. "What?" Abby asked.

"He asked how the baby got in my stomach." Olivia told Abby causing her to gasp. "NO, what did you say to that?" She asked. "Well, we didn't answer straight away. I mean how do you explain that in a way that a four-year-old can understand. So we ended up finding an e-book and read it to him the next day." Olivia told her. "Awkward. How did you end up explaining that to him?" She asked. "Abby." Olivia started. "What? I'm curious." Abby exclaimed. "The book was extremely thorough. It covered everything from sperm and eggs to labor and delivery. That part was so much fun for me." Olivia cringed. "Yeah, I bet. How did he handle the information?" She asked. "He seemed okay with it. He didn't ask anymore questions at the time. So hopefully he understood." Olivia explained. "Hopefully. Anyway, I gotta go. It's been fun catching up, but I've got some work to do." Abby said as she gathered her things to leave. "It was, I'll talk to you later Abby."

After touring the homeless shelter in Alexandria, Olivia decided to make a stop into her old office to see her Quinn and Huck. Making her way into the office she came across Huck. "Huck, hey. You're just the person I needed to see." She said pulling out the note that was included with her flowers earlier that day. "Liv, hi. I had no idea you would be stopping by today." He said. "I wasn't planning on it, but I need your help." Olivia admitted. "When I arrived in my office this morning there was a flower arrangement on my desk." Olivia started. "That's why you dropped by? Flowers?" She heard a voice from behind her ask. Olivia jumped turning to greet the owner of the voice. "Quinn hi. It's a little more complicated than that." Olivia said. She noticed that Quinn Was dressed in a pair of black strappy heels and a red and black dress with a low-cut V that showed off a little too much cleavage. "You look nice. Where are you and Charlie headed tonight?" Olivia asked him. "We are going to that new Italian place that everyone is raving about." Quinn informed her. "Leo and Abby are headed there too. "You'll want to get the tiramisu for dessert." Olivia informed her. "I'll keep that in mind." Quinn informed her.

"So what about these flowers?" She asked. "They came with a note. Only when I asked my secretary about it she said the cards didn't come with a note. They were delivered by a flower delivery service and therefore the Secret Service had to inspect them. When I asked Fitz about the flowers he said they were from him, but he didn't leave a note." Olivia finished. "Do you have it with you?" Huck asked. Olivia nodded pulling out the note from inside her bag. She handed it to Huck. "What do you think?" Olivia asked. "It could just be somebody messing with you." Quinn offered. "Or it could be someone threatening you." Huck offered. "Do you have any idea what truth this person could be referring to?" Quinn asked her. "I have no idea what this person is talking about. I think the smart thing to do is just sit on it for now. If I get another message I will let you know. I just wanted you guys to know, because I thought you might be able to make connections that I can't." Olivia admitted.

"We will hold on to this and see if we can come up with anything. We will keep you updated with any leads we have, but until then Liv you need to be extra careful." Huck told her. "Huck I'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything stupid." Olivia told him. "Liv, whoever sent this to you has proven that they can get to you. This means that it's possible the threat is coming from inside the White House. Does the president know?" Quinn asked. "No, he knows about the note, but I didn't tell him what the note said. I didn't want to worry him, in case it was just a scare tactic." Olivia said. "Liv, tell him." Quinn pushed. "I will, look. I was wondering if I got you a hard pass, could you come to the White House and go over the security tapes for me?" She asked them. "Sure, but isn't that what secret service is for?" Quinn asked her. "Yes, but whoever sent me this note was able to get to me while I was inside the White House. It could be anyone, and I don't know who else to trust except for the two of you. I'll talk to Fitz tonight and then I will give you a call." Olivia told them. "Now, I don't want to hold you too much longer. I don't want to keep Charlie waiting." Olivia told her. "Be careful Liv." Huck told her as he walked out with her. "I'll be fine Huck." She said squeezing his hands before stepping on the elevator.

After walking through the bedroom doors Olivia discovered Fitz sitting in on the couch reading over a file. "Hi." She said after she took off her jacket and put her purse down. "Hi. I though you would be home 30 minutes ago." He said not bothering to look up from his file. "I had a stop to make. I needed to stop by OPA for a minute." Olivia told him. "Interesting read?" She asked him. "Riveting. Nothing gets my blood pumping like proposed budget cuts." He said flatly. "So how was your day?" She asked him. "Wonderful. You ready to go? We have a long drive ahead of us." Fitz told her. She looked at him quizzically. "Do I need to change?" Olivia asked him. "What you're wearing is fine. I took the liberty of having an aid pack a bag for you, so you don't have to worry about anything." Fitz told her. "Why do I need a bag?" Olivia asked him. "I'm not telling you. You'll just have to trust me." He told her.

Fitz had his secret service pull the car around and they were on the road. A few minutes on the road Olivia looked at Fitz. "I need to tell you something." She told him. The gravity in his voice caused him to look at her with concern. "Okay. What's wrong?" He asked. "I don't know, it could be nothing. Just to be sure I'm having Huck and Quinn look into it." She told him. "Look into what Liv? What's wrong?" He asked again. "The roses that you had delivered this morning…" She began. "What about them?" He asked. "They had an anonymous note inside of them." He looked at her with concern. "Is that what that call was about earlier?" He asked. "Yes. Like I said, it could be nothing. Just in case it is something though I trust Huck and Quinn to look in on it." She told him. "Are you going to tell me what it said? Was it a death threat? Liv, why didn't you tell your secret service?" Fitz asked. "Slow down. No, it wasn't a death threat and secret service inspected the flowers when they arrived this morning. There was no note. I left it with Huck and Quinn, but the note said 'I know the truth'." She said

"That's it? There was nothing else to it?" He asked. "Nothing. Just that one message." She confirmed. "Truth about what?" He asked. "I have no idea, but Fitz whoever left that note delivered it from inside the White House. Anyone could have done it. That's why I want my guys looking at it. I want to get them inside the White House so that they can work their magic." She told him. "Okay. I will make the call. Now, your only job this weekend is to relax and have a good time." He told her. "Really? How do you propose we spend our weekend?" She asked him. "I have an idea or two." He told her as he began to kiss her neck.

She spent the rest of the car ride with her head resting on his shoulder. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep until he whispered her name gently into her ear in an effort to wake her up. "Wow, did I really just fall asleep?" She asked him. "You did, but considering how much you tossed and turned last night I'm not surprised." He told her. Her door opened and an agent helped her out of the car. "Thank you, Daniel." Olivia told him. "So, now that we are here can you tell me what the plan is Mr. President?" She asked in a sultry voice. "Well Livvie, dinner will be ready in 30 minutes. While we are waiting I was thinking we could unpack our bags and get settled in."

After a romantic candlelit dinner for two on the balcony Olivia and Fitz retired to the hot tub. "Dinner was amazing. I had a wonderful dinner." Olivia told him. "Me too. This weekend however is only getting started." He told her, inching closer towards her. He began placing kisses on her neck. As he moved her hair out of his way, his phone started ringing. "Ignore it." Olivia whispered as she leaned into his kisses. Obeying her command, Fitz hit ignore on his cell phone. "I love you so much." He said as she straddled his lap. He cupped her hands and began kissing her lips. His phone started ringing again causing another groan to escape both of their mouths. "Should we take this to the bedroom?" Olivia asked. "HMM… I like the way you think Mrs. Grant." He told her as he got up and helped her out of the hot tub. "Just, leave your phone here." She said with a wink as she made her way back to their bedroom. "Yes ma'am." He said, following her lead.

Once in the bedroom Olivia began to take off what little clothing she had on. She undid the knot that held her white bikini top in place. Fitz watched with lust in his eyes as it fell to the floor where she was standing. Olivia stood in front of Fitz wearing nothing but the bottoms of her bikini. Slowly she began to play with her breasts, which only served to turn Fitz on even more. He closed the gap between them and began kissing her again. He led her backwards to the bed where he then proceeded to take off what was left her bikini. "Fitz." She gasped as he climbed on top of her and began placing kisses between her legs. She could feel herself growing wet as his tongue found its way to her clit. She propped herself up on her elbows so that she could get a better look at him. "You like Livvie?" He asked. Looking up into her eyes. "Uhuh." She moaned. "More." She moaned even louder, in a more impatient voice. "Yes ma'am." He told her. His mouth went back to working her clit while his middle finger found its way inside of her. "Oh, yes. Just like that." She told him as she collapsed backwards on the bed.

Upon hearing her satisfaction Fitz worked another finger inside of her and then began pumping in and out of her. Her moaning intensified as she began bucking her hips up and down. "You ready Livvie?" He asked as he began to take his swim trunks off. His arousal was evident as he leaned closer to her. "Tell me what you want sweet baby." He said, teasing her. "I want you." She breathed. "Inside of me." She told him. Eager to please he positioned himself over her and pushed his penis inside of her. Slowly at first, until she could adjust to having him inside of her, then he began to pick up the pace. Olivia could feel her muscles begin to contract around him which caused his breathing to quicken and his moaning to intensify. "Faster. Harder." Olivia commanded. "OH FITZ YES!" She screamed as she could feel his strokes enter her with increased ferocity. It was the perfect mixture of both pleasure and pain. She grabbed his ass and pulled him closer into her causing him to climax quicker.

He fell over in the bed next to her. "Wow." Was all he could say as he looked over to Olivia. Who was still catching her breath. "Yeah." Was all she could say. Fitz got up and went to the bathroom and brought back a washcloth so both of them could clean up. After cleaning up they got underneath the covers and held on to each other. "Hey Fitz." Olivia said looking up at him. "Yeah?" He asked her. "Earlier this evening. Back at the White House." She began. "Yeah, he asked. "You seemed like you were upset about something. Is everything okay?" She asked hesitantly. "Huh? Oh yeah, that." He began. "Mellie called me earlier today, you know how I love hearing from her." He said trying to play off his frustration. "What did Mellie have to say?" Olivia asked him. "Oh, nothing." He said, shutting her down. "Fitz, it was something. What did she say?" She asked.

"It's Teddy." He told her. "Is he okay?" Olivia asked, concerned. "Yeah, he's fine. He had a play date yesterday with a friend of his." Fitz told her. "Okay, so why did Mellie see the need to call you and tell you about this?" Olivia asked. "Well, he told the other little boy the story that we told him about where babies come from. The child's mother was upset and called Mellie, who then called me to complain." He stated. "Oh." Was all Olivia could say. "That sounds like kids just being kids though. That's how I found out about sex and babies. Although I wasn't four years old." Olivia conceded. "It's nothing to worry about, I just really don't enjoy arguing with her." Fitz said as he kissed her on the forehead. "I understand, but I also understand where Mellie is coming from. That's a conversation that a child should have with his mom and his dad, not his dad and his step-mom. What if she thinks I'm trying to replace her in his life?" Olivia asked. "Liv, no one thinks you are trying to replace her." Fitz told her. "Are you sure about that?" She asked. "Did you see that look she gave me last weekend when she picked him up?" Olivia told Fitz. "Liv, don't worry about Mellie. I'm glad that Teddy is so comfortable with you. I want both of my kids to feel like they have a place with us. I want them to know that a new baby won't change that." Fitz told her.

"MR. PRESIDENT!" A voice yelled as the door slammed open. "YOU KNOW THAT LITTLE GREEN BUTTON ON YOUR PHONE?" Cyrus yelled as he entered the room. "When your chief of staff has to cancel his Valentine's plans with his husband to call you, you press that little green button and ANSWER HIM." Cyrus said, beyond livid. "Cyrus who do you think you are barging in here like this?" Fitz asked him. "I think I am a very pissed off man who needs you to put some damn clothes on and get your ass back to the White House!" Cyrus told him. Cyrus turned on the TV to reveal that a video had surfaced of the 3 missing soldiers. A translator relayed a message as one of the captors took control of the camera. "This message is to whoever is in charge: You have detained our leader in Guantanamo Bay. We want him released. You have one week to comply or we start sending body parts to their family members for every 3 days that you do not meet our demands."

Fitz and Olivia looked on in horror as the screen went back to the BNC news anchor. "Who is their leader, and do we in fact have them in Guantanamo Bay?" Fitz asked. "Right now, they appear to be a fringe group in Turkey that do not think the Turks should be our allies. They appear to be a part of a larger faction with ties to other countries in the middle east who want nothing more than to see our heads on pikes." Cyrus informed him. "Get ahold of the joint chiefs, the Director of the NSA, the CIA and the FBI. As well as the Secretaries of Homeland Security, State and Defense." He barked before turning back to Liv. "Already called them Sir, we are just waiting for you." Cyrus said. "I'll be outside waiting for you Sir. Liv, sorry to interrupt your evening." He said as he looked at her apologetically. "No apologies Cy, you do what you need to do." She told him. "Livvie, I am so sorry. I have to go, but you should stay here and relax. I set up massages for tomorrow. I will make it back if I can." He told her. "Go, go. I understand, you have things you need to do." She said kissing him on the lips. He hurried to get dressed before rushing out of the room. "I love you Liv." He said before rushing out the door. "I love you too." She told him as she went back to bed and made herself comfortable.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I would like to say thank you for all of you for reading and reviewing. That being said I would like to explain myself a little bit. Yes. We all know that Olivia is 100% capable of handling Mellie. However they are still trying to navigate the whole step-mother/mother dynamic of their relationship. I am planning something for them so just hang on for that.**

 **Chapter Eleven**

With 24 hours left to go on the clock the room was tense. Fitz's approval ratings had been on a steady decline ever since the video footage surfaced. Olivia, Cyrus and Fitz sat in the Oval trying to think of ways to bring the soldiers home safe before the clock ticked down. "I'm just going to say what we are all thinking. You are the president of the United States, if anyone has the authority to release anyone from Guantanamo Bay it is you. If you do that this will all be over." Cyrus said. "We don't know that." Olivia spoke up. "They never said anything about letting our prisoners go if we released their leader from Gitmo." She finished. "That and we do not negotiate with terrorists." Fitz added. "You of all people know we do not put just anyone in Guantanamo Bay. We are NOT releasing him, especially since we have no assurances that doing so will result in a safe homecoming for our soldiers." Fitz said firmly.

"Then Sir, I highly suggest we do something to boost your favorables. All do respect but it looks like we are just sitting on our hands while American lives hang in the balance. I'm pretty sure Charles Manson has higher approval ratings than you do at this point." Cyrus told him. "I don't care if my approval ratings sink below that of the Bubonic Plague I'm not negotiating with terrorists." Fitz reaffirmed. "We have our best SEAL team on this. We have DoD, the State Department and our allies in Turkey doing everything they can to ensure the safety of these young men." Fitz said. "I'm afraid if we did anything to try and boost Fitz's favorables right now it would only have the opposite effect." Olivia chimed in. "We need him here working on the crisis in Turkey if we send him off to a rally somewhere or have him focusing on anything other than the problem at hand it will make him look distant and uncaring. As if he doesn't stay up all night trying to figure out ways to bring these soldiers home." Olivia said.

Cyrus's eyes lit up after Olivia got done speaking. "Maybe he can't go off to garner goodwill from the American people but his wife can. After all, his wife is not the one who has 3 innocent lives resting in the palm of her hands." He said. "No, Cyrus. I will not have my wife shamelessly pander to the masses on my behalf." Fitz said. "Who said anything about shamelessly pandering to the masses?" Cyrus asked innocently. "I was thinking about something more along the lines of the new baby." He added. "You find out the sex soon right?" He asked. "Next week, but by then it'll be too late." Olivia told him. "No. I told Mellie this when she was pregnant with Teddy and I will tell you this now Cyrus, America is not having a baby. Olivia and I are. I will not use this baby as a political stunt to boost my favorables." Fitz told Cyrus. "That baby in there is political gold Liv, but if you're not going to spend that gold you could at least let it slip 'accidentally' to a White House press reporter how difficult this hostage situation has been on Fitz. How most nights he doesn't come to bed until well past midnight only to be gone before breakfast the next day." Cyrus told her. "I'm not using this child to garner political points for my husband and nobody wants to hear 'how difficult this hostage situation has been on Fitz'. He quite literally signed up for this job." Olivia responded. "He is quite literally right here. You don't have to talk about him like he isn't." Fitz said. "It's getting late Cy. You should head home. You have a husband and daughter to get back to." Fitz said, relieving Cyrus for the evening. "Goodnight Sir, Liv." He said as he walked out the door.

Fitz walked over to the couch where Olivia was sitting. As he sat down Olivia put her head on Fitz's shoulder. "I know you are doing everything you can." Olivia told him. "I just wish it were more. I want these soldiers back home safely, and in one piece. I want these family members to know that I do stay up late at night thinking of new ways to make sure that happens." Fitz told her as he rested his hand on her stomach. "My children are the most important people in my world. I thought watching my son die was bad enough, but this seems worse somehow. With Jerry I could touch him. I could hold his hand and tell him that I loved him. These family members can't do that. They have to watch from thousands of miles away while horribly atrocious things happen to their loved ones. The youngest soldier to have been kidnapped is 19. He just graduated high school last May. His mother said he wants to be an engineer, but they don't have the money for him to go to college so he joined the military so that he could go to college after his service was up." Fitz told her. "Fitz we are going to bring these men home. I have faith in you and in your people. You are going to bring these soldiers home before anything else happens to them I know it." Olivia reassured him.

"Do whatever you want for dinner tonight, I'm going to be here late again. You should get some sleep. I noticed you're still not sleeping well." He told her. "You know eventually you and I are going to have to talk about what's keeping you awake right?" He asked. "I know, we will. Right now you have so much on your plate and I don't want to add my problems to that list." She told him. "You're my wife Olivia. Your problems ARE my problems and vice versa. That's what for better or for worse means you know." Fitz told her. "I know." She told him. "And I promise you that we will talk, but right now you need to focus on bringing those missing soldiers home." Olivia told him. "Our SEALs raided a compound yesterday that our allies in Turkey thought might have our soldiers, but the intel was faulty." Fitz told her. "Fitz… I'm so sorry to hear that. How come you didn't tell me earlier?" She asked him. "I haven't exactly seen much of you these past couple of days." He told her.

"How is it going with Huck and Quinn?" He asked. "Are you any closer to figuring out who sent you that note? Or what the note even means?" Fitz asked. "Well in the footage that was archived on the day I received the note there was a 15-minute time gap in the footage." Olivia told him. "Do I need to question the Secret Service agents on your detail about that?" Fitz asked. "No. The footage was accessed externally." Olivia told him. "You mean someone hacked the security footage? How? This system is supposed to be fool-proof." Fitz demanded. "I don't know, but I've tasked Huck with hacking into the system again, so that we know exactly how this person got in and so we know what measures we need to take to ensure this won't happen again." Olivia finished. "What about Quinn?" Fitz asked. "Quinn is going over those tapes again. Hoping that there is something else on those tapes that will lead us to whoever did this." She told him.

"I was talking to Abby last week. She mentioned a gender reveal but I dismissed her. Gender reveals are just so tired and overplayed but it got me thinking, what do you want to do?" She asked him. "I don't care about the sex of our baby. I don't care if it's a boy or girl. I only care that the two of you are happy and healthy. Everything else after that is just icing on the cake." Fitz told her. "I'm not too keen on the whole interview thing either, but people will be asking. There will be speculation." She told him. "So how do you want to handle it?" Fitz asked her. "It would do wonders for your approval ratings but I don't know if I'm comfortable using my baby as a prop." Olivia told him. "So you want to keep the media out of this?" He asked her. "Yes, I do. I know you have been doing this for years but this is still new to me. I'm used to working behind the shadows. Besides, this is our baby not theirs." Olivia told him. "Okay then. They will just have to wait until August to find out. You know how hard it will be to keep this secret right? Hell, we can barely go to the bathroom in this place without anyone knowing about it." Fitz told her. "Well then I guess we will just have to be extra careful then won't we?" She asked playfully. "For the nursery I was thinking we could do a book theme." She told him. "Books?" He asked. "Yes Fitz, books. I was thinking the Velveteen Rabbit. It was the first book that I ever read all by myself. I want to share that with our child." Olivia told him. "That takes care of the nursery, but what about laundry service? Surely they will notice if we have more pink sleepers than blue sleepers." Fitz pointed out. "Yes, which is why we buy gender neutral clothing." She countered. "Well you've just thought of everything haven't you?" He teased, kissing her on the lips. "I have, now if you don't mind. I am going to grab some dinner before heading off to bed." She said, returning his kiss. "Okay, I love you. I'll try not to wake you when I come in tonight." Fitz told her as he walked her to the door.

"Hey guys, how about you call it a night and come have dinner with me? I'm getting hungry." Olivia told Huck and Quinn when she made her way back to the East Wing after saying goodbye to Fitz. "I could eat." Quinn told her as she closed her laptop and put it in her computer bag. "Huck?" Olivia asked. "Yeah, sure. Dinner sounds good." Huck replied. "Are you two settling in okay?" Olivia asked Huck and Quinn as they made their way to the dining room. "We're good Liv." Quinn told her as they entered the elevator. "If you two need anything while you are working here just let me know. You are my guests and my staff would be happy to accommodate you in any way." Olivia let told her friends as they entered the dining room.

"So what have you guys found?" Olivia asked Huck and Quinn when they all sat down for dinner. "Since you asked us three hours ago?" Quinn asked her. "Not much on the video front. We might have to go a different route." Quinn advised. "What about you Huck?" Olivia asked. "I'm working on an algorithm that will allow me access to the backdoor of the security system. I'm not sure how long it will take me." He told her. "Okay well keep on it. Quinn, I want you to forget the security tapes for now. Instead, I want you to run background checks of everyone who would have had access to those tapes." Olivia told her. "Okay, how deep do you want me to dig?" Quinn asked. "I want bank statements, phone records, anything that looks suspicious. Go back at least 3 months, that's how long I've been here." Olivia said. "Is there anyone I should pay special attention to?" Quinn asked. "Start off with anyone in the East Wing, that would have easy access to my office. Move on to the West Wing if need be." Olivia said.

Olivia laid in bed when a memory popped into her head. _Tell me Olivia, did he marry you because he loves you or did he only marry you to shut you up so that he could remain president?_ Could this be the truth the note was talking about? The truth about West Angola. She didn't know why it never occurred to her before now. Then it hit her like a flash, _Andrew Nichols is awake._ Her mind raced. Was it possible her father was behind this? Was Andrew Nichols trying to reach out to her? She glanced over at the clock by the side of her bed. 10:35. She wondered when Fitz would be back that night. She wondered if her father would still be awake at this hour. She laid in bed for a few minutes later when she finally got up out of bed and got redressed. She picked up her phone and pushed a button. "Please have a car ready for me as soon as possible." She said before hanging up the phone.

Her secret service agents opened the door for her and proceeded to walk ahead of her. The lights in the downstairs were off, but the upstairs lights were still on. She knocked. At first there was no answer. A few minutes later the door opened. "Jake?" Olivia asked, somewhat surprised to see him. "Is my father awake? I need to speak with him." As soon as Olivia said that she could see her father descend down the stairs. "What are you doing Jake? The First Lady is standing at the door in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, let her in." Her father chastised. Jake opened the door wider so Olivia could make her way inside. "Ma'am." He said as she made her way inside. "Jake, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked him. "Your brother has dropped by to see me. Apparently, this is the night that both of my children decided to come home." Her father said offering to take her coat.

"Olivia, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" Her father asked. "Can I offer something to drink, some tea maybe?" He asked making his way into the kitchen. "You look well. How is pregnancy treating you?" Her father asked. "Fine Dad. Look can we skip the small talk and get straight to the point?" Olivia asked. "It's not small talk, I'm genuinely interested in hearing about my daughter." He told her. "The baby is fine. I'm fine, but I'm not here on a social call." She said. "When you were still at the White House you said you had someone keeping an eye on Andrew Nichols. Is that still the case?" Olivia asked him. "Yes, Olivia I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask what this is about." Eli told her as he poured her a drink. "Milk?" She asked him.

"Calcium, for my grandchild. To keep him healthy." He said as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Or her." Olivia told him. He chuckled. "Or her.1988 Dom Perignon. Just had delivered. Perhaps in a few months you could share a glass with me." Her father told her as he took a sip. "`88? That's a little young for your taste isn't it?" She asked, rolling her eyes. He chuckled. "It was a fine year." Her father replied. "Dad, can we get back to the topic at hand? Do you still have someone watching out for Andrew Nichols?" She asked. "Once again Olivia, I'm going to need you to tell me what this is about." He said again. "I got a note. Last week, I've been searching my brain trying to come up with an answer as to who might have sent me that note or what it could possibly mean then it hit me..." Olivia began. "What hit you Olivia? What did this note say?" He asked. " _I know the truth._ It wasn't an outright threat, but it's nothing that needs to be taken lightly." She told him. He laughed again. "Olivia, you should have kept your old chief of staff. I told you not to remove my person on the inside. They could have dealt with this. You waited a week to tell me that someone is threatening you? Why not bring it up when we had dinner on Sunday?" He asked.

"Because I don't feel comfortable having someone report my every move to you. I'm not a child and I don't need your misguided attempts at keeping me safe." Olivia told him. "Clearly, that's why you're at my house in the middle of the night. Because you don't need my help." He scoffed. "I need to know what you know about Andrew Nichols. Can you help me with that or am I just wasting my time?" Olivia asked impatiently. "What exactly am I doing for you Olivia?" her father asked. "For starters, what is his condition? Has he made any improvements? Is he the one who had that note sent to me?" Olivia asked. "I'll reach out to my contacts, and see what they can tell me. In the mean time take care of yourself, and I will see you on Sunday night." Her father told her. "8 o'clock. Don't be late." She told him. "Watch out for yourself Olivia. Stick tight to your agents. I will see what I can find out." Eli said, walking her to the door and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight sweetheart. Let me know when you make it home." He said opening the door for her. "Goodnight Dad." Olivia said as her agents escorted her back to her car.

When Olivia got back to the White House, she made her way back to the dressing room to change back into her pajamas. "You mind telling me what drew you out of the White House at 11:30 at night?" She heard a voice ask. She turned around to see Fitz changing out of his clothes for the evening. "I had somewhere I needed to be." She told him. "Have you made any headway in Turkey?" Olivia asked him. "Some new intel has come to light. I'm hoping that by the morning we can have the whole thing settled and rescue our soldiers." Fitz told her as he wrapped his arms around her. "I went to go see my father." Olivia confessed. "Oh? At 11 o'clock on a Thursday night?" Fitz asked her. "Yeah, it occurred to me that he has someone watching Andrew Nichols. I think he is behind that note that I got last week. He's going to check on Andrew's condition for me." Olivia confided in him. "Do you think you can trust him?" Fitz asked. "I think so." She told him as she made her way into their bedroom.

"I wish you would have come to me with this." Fitz told her. "You've been preoccupied with other things." Olivia told him. "Please Liv. If Andrew Nichols is doing this then it is not just your problem anymore it's ours!" Fitz said raising his voice. "My father has someone watching him. He is going to reach out to his contact and then we will know what we are dealing with." Olivia said. "Since when do you have all this blind faith in him? If Andrew Nichols exposed the truth I would be crucified. Nothing would make your father happier." Fitz said as he followed her to bed. "He is going to have his contact check up on Andrew Nichols for us. If he is behind that note we will know. From there we can decide how we want to deal with him. Until then, I have Quinn looking into the staff in the East Wing looking for anything suspicious." Olivia told him. "You think somebody in your camp is working with Andrew?" Fitz asked. "It wouldn't be the first time Andrew had someone inside the First Lady's camp." Olivia reasoned. "That still doesn't explain why you would go to your father. Liv, this is the man who didn't even lift a finger to help you when you got taken." Fitz tried to reason with her.

"What other choice do we have Fitz? He already has a person on the inside what's the harm in finding out what he knows?" Olivia asked him. "Olivia do you hear yourself? This man that you call your father is dangerous. Just because he doesn't hold the power that he used to hold doesn't mean that he is not still dangerous." Fitz said. "I suppose he is just helping you out of the goodness of his heart? What does he want in return Olivia, he must want something." He pointed out. "Nothing. He said nothing about wanting anything in return. He will be here for Sunday dinner after Teddy goes home. We will talk about it then. Until then, it's getting late and we are both exhausted. Goodnight." She told him as she turned out the lamp on her side of the bed. "I love you." He told her as he turned over to go to bed.

That night Olivia struggled to get to sleep. Her mind wandered back to her conversation with her father. Was it possible that he was only helping her in exchange for a favor later on down the road? Or was he, for once in his life, trying to help her simply because she was his daughter? Eventually she drifted off into an uneasy sleep. _The florescent lighting of the corridors hurt her eyes. The concrete floors hard and cold against her bare feet. Her hair was unruly and unkempt given that she had been held hostage for a week. The leaky pipes gave the room a dank, humid atmosphere making the entire place smell rotten. The door lay before her. The red door that she had seen dozens of times before on her way to and from the bathroom was waiting there just fifty feet away from where she was standing. She knew she had to escape now. If she waited she would miss her opportunity forever. That's when she heard it. At first it was nothing more than a faint whimper. The closer she got to the door however the crying got louder. She couldn't pinpoint an exact location. It was echoing all over the place and she could not figure out where it was coming from. She ran from room to room, growing increasingly worried after not finding the source of the crying in any of the rooms she checked. As she turned and rounded another corner she ran into one of her captors. She tried to get away from him but in the end, he caught her. She struggled and fought against him but she couldn't move. "Livvie!" He said as he struggled against her._

"LIVVIE!" Fitz said as he struggled to wake her up. Olivia's eyes snapped open and she saw Fitz hovering over her. Her breathing was labored and she felt sticky. She had been sweating. "Sshh Livvie. It was just a dream." He said pulling her into his embrace. "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on." He said gently. "I could hear the baby crying, but I couldn't find him. I ran from room to room looking for the baby but I couldn't find him anywhere. Then when I turned the corner to go look in another room that's when he found me." Olivia said in a hurried voice. "He? Who Liv?" Fitz asked. "One of the kidnappers." She told him. His face sunk. "That's what I have been dreaming about. Being held hostage." Olivia told him. "Livvie, hey. You're okay now. You're safe. That won't ever happen to you again. It's over. Is this what you've been dreaming about?" Fitz asked. Olivia didn't answer.

"They showed me their faces. I knew in that moment they planned on killing me. I knew that I would never see you again. When they took me I was in my apartment. Jake was with me. He left the living room for no longer than 90 seconds. In that time they broke into my apartment and kidnapped me. They took me into my neighbor's apartment and I watched as Jake went crazy trying to find me. They murdered my neighbor and placed her dead body in a body bag on top of mine, then took us out of the apartment into an ambulance." This was the first time Olivia had opened up to anybody about the atrocities that happened to her when she was taken. She hadn't meant to unload on him, but she couldn't stop the words from pouring out of her mouth. "I saw their faces and all I could think of was I wasn't going to make it out of there alive. They had told me their plan was to keep me there until you were out of office. After that they were going to kill me." Olivia told him. "That's when I knew I had to run. I had to do whatever it took to get out of there."

Olivia looked up at Fitz and saw the horror and shock written on his face. His eyes were soft and vulnerable. In that moment all she wanted to do was comfort him. "This is what you dream of?" He asked. "Yes." She told him. "For how long?" Fitz asked. "Every night at first. Eventually they occurred less and less often. Not sleeping alone helps." She admitted. "What's different now?" Fitz asked. "Andrew Nichols is awake." She told him. "The baby. I'm guessing that's new?" He asked her. "Yes, that's new." She told him. Fitz held her for what seemed like an eternity before speaking. "You should have told me." Fitz told her. "It's normal for expectant mothers to dream about their babies. Have nightmares even, that part is perfectly normal and natural, but Liv… The trauma that you endured at the hands of your captors is not something that you should hide. Ever. I don't care what else is happening in our lives, I am always going to put you first." She rested her head on his chest.

"I dreamt of us while I was there." She began. "We were living in Vermont. You were the mayor and I made jam. We had a dog. A golden retriever. You were complaining about having to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game." She said with a faint laugh. "Are we talking major or minor league baseball?" He asked curiously, causing her to laugh. "I'm serious." He said. "You were being asked to throw out the first pitch at a Capitol's game." She told him. "Well yeah, you screw up a pitch like that you get mocked relentlessly." He laughed. This caused her to smile. "You said 'he'." Fitz told her. "What?" She asked him. "You called the baby a 'he'." He said again. "Yeah, I guess I did. It just doesn't seem right to call the baby 'it.'." Olivia told him. "I guess you're right. We'll find out in a few days. Even then, we are keeping it a secret from everyone else remember?" Fitz told her. "I remember. Are you going to be able to make it to this appointment? I know you said you wanted to, but things are so crazy around here now. I would understand if you couldn't make it." She told him. "I'm going Livvie. I missed all of Teddy's appointments. I hated that, not being able to see him until he was born. Not being able to hear his heartbeat the same way I heard Jerry's and Karen's. I missed the last appointment, I am not going to miss this one." He reassured her. "Good. I'm going to lie back down. I'm starting to get tired again." She told him. "Okay. I love you." He told her. He laid down and wrapped an arm around her while she drifted off to sleep. "Livvie." He said. "Yeah?" She answered. "Thank you for telling me about the nightmares. I'm sorry that you had to go through that." He told her. "I know you are. It's done now though. We have to stop Andrew Nichols." She told him before falling into a more peaceful relaxing sleep than the one before.

The next morning she woke up to find that Fitz was already gone. She looked over at the clock on her bedside table and panicked when she saw the time. 9:15. She hurried to the bathroom and found a note. " _Livvie, I wanted to leave this somewhere you would find it. You looked so peaceful this morning when I woke up. I figured you needed your rest so I had your chief of staff take care of your morning schedule, and I have asked that Quinn and Huck report any of their findings to me in an effort to let you get your rest. Come find me when you wake up."_ Olivia smiled reading Fitz's note as she continued getting ready.

When Olivia got done with her hair and makeup she walked into the bedroom and turned the TV on to see what was going on in the news. Her attention was captured when she saw Fitz standing at the podium in the briefing room. She missed the press briefing, but luckily BNC was playing it on a loop. "My fellow Americans," his speech began. "At 7:52 am Eastern Standard Time, our soldiers in Turkey were rescued safely by a team of our best Navy SEALs based on the intelligence of not only the FBI, CIA, the joint chiefs of staff, as well the Secretaries of State and Defense, but also our Turkish allies. Our troops are working tirelessly to bring those responsible for this atrocity to justice. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers, and God bless these United States of America." Soon after his speech the TV cut back to the BNC news anchor covering the press conference. Olivia shut off the television and continued getting ready for her day.

After getting dressed Olivia made her way to the elevator that lead to the Oval. She made her way to Charlotte's desk when she was told she could go in. Upon opening the door she met a dour looking Fitz. "Hi. I hear someone has had a productive morning. I'm glad the hostages were rescued safely…" Her voice trailed off when she saw that his demeanor had not changed nor did he even seem to be aware of her presence. "Fitz what's wrong?" Olivia asked him. Nothing. "FITZ!" She spoke up. He looked up. Unfazed by the fact that she just yelled at him. "What's wrong?" She asked again. "We got a package this morning. It's from the president of France and his wife. It's a bassinet for the baby. They left a card. It was very sweet of them we should send them a thank you note." Fitz told her. "Okay, that's why you're acting so weird? A gift?" Olivia asked. "We received another package in the mail today." Fitz said in the same somber tone. "What was it?" She asked him. He motioned for her to meet him at his desk. He handed her a set of headphones and pressed play on the video.

Olivia looked on in shock until Fitz hit the pause button. It was the video her captors recorded while she was in captivity. She felt nauseated. "Fitz, who sent this?" Olivia asked. "There was no note." He told her. "What are their demands?" She asked him. "They haven't made any." Fitz told her. "Well whoever sent this they must want something." She demanded. "They haven't said. For now, whoever this is just wants to torment us we should proceed with caution. I've made Huck and Quinn aware of the situation and they are working on trying to come up with answers. I've also got Jake on this. He is in the NSA and he has access to equipment and technology that your guys don't have but he also has a vested interest in finding whoever did this." After Fitz spoke Olivia looked up at Fitz and saw the same look of fear that she had seen last night when she told him about her dreams. "Who was this delivered to specifically? Was it me or you?" She asked. "Does it matter Liv? We need to stop things before they get even more out of control." Fitz told her. "I agree, but until whoever this is makes some sort of demand what else can we do?" Olivia asked him. "I say we go straight to the source. We find Andrew Nichols and we make him wish that he had never woken up." Fitz said, his voice seething with anger.

"Fitz, getting angry is not going to solve anything." Olivia said trying to calm him down. "Besides, need proof that tells us this is without a doubt Andrew Nichols." Olivia finished. "Liv, who else knows about this tape? Who else knows about this tape who is spiteful enough to try and take both of us down?" Fitz asked her. "Fine, I hear you. However, we cannot just act first and think later. We need to be methodical about this. My father is coming over for dinner on Sunday and he will share with us what he knows. We will decide how best to move forward after we hear what he has to say." Olivia told him. "Liv, I'm going to ask you again. Are you absolutely sure that you're ready to trust your father with this?" Fitz asked Olivia. "I just want to see what he knows. After that, well, it depends on what sort of information he gives us." Olivia told him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Earlier that day:

 _"Olivia I wish you would have let me do this alone. The last thing I want to do is stress you out. It's not good for our baby." Fitz told her as they walked down the hall of the rehab hospital. "Fitz, I'm not letting you do this alone. Just because I'm pregnant, does not mean I am some fragile woman that needs to be handled with kiddie gloves." She told him. "I'm very well aware of how capable you are. I am also aware that you need to avoid any undue stress. I'm capable of handling Andrew Nichols by myself. After everything this man did to you I would feel more comfortable if you had stayed behind." Fitz told her. "I hear you, I do. Now hear me; we are in this together. It is because of everything he did to me that I need to be here. I need to let him see that I am not afraid of him. He needs to see that he did not win." She told him. "Is there any point in trying to talk you out of this?" Fitz asked her. "Is there ever any point in trying to talk me out of anything?" She asked him, with a coy smile. "I suppose not." Fitz said as he stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall._

 _He knocked on the door and waited to get a reply before he entered. Upon receiving an invitation to come in Fitz and Olivia entered the room. It had been a year since seeing Andrew Nichols she wasn't quite sure what to expect but she knew for a fact she didn't expect to see this. The man in the wheelchair before her seemed different. Not weak, despite having had a stroke. Just different. Like a wounded animal that would do anything to stay alive. Like an animal that was ready to lash out at a moment's notice. There was something sinister about him. Olivia could feel it in her gut. "Mr. President. Forgive me if I don't stand." Andrew said, his speech was slurred. A clear indication that he had suffered a stroke. "Given the circumstances, I think that's understandable." Fitz said, guarded. "Olivia, congratulations on your new role as the First Lady. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that your husband not only divorced Mellie but married you immediately after and still somehow managed to stay president." Andrew told her._

 _"Yes. Imagine that." Olivia said curtly. "To what do I owe this honor?" He asked, feigning sincerity. "You were my VP Andrew. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't come to check on your condition?" Fitz asked. Still not letting his guard down. "I've been awake for almost two months now, yet this is the first time you've come to visit. Why?" He asked. "I've been busy. Running the country." Fitz told him. "Yes. So why don't you cut the crap and tell me why you are here." Andrew demanded. "I'm here to tell you to stop threatening my family." Fitz told him. Anger apparent in his voice for the first time since arriving at the hospital. "What makes you think I have done anything to your family? I can't even feed myself. I have to crap into a bag." Andrew told Fitz, matching his anger. "Are we supposed to feel sorry for you? You brought this on yourself. This is what happens when you stage an attack to force the President to go to war." Olivia told him with disgust. "Is that really what you think happened?" Andrew asked her. "No, your goon did this to me. He injected me with something and I have spent the last year of my life here." He finished._

 _"You expect me to believe that?" She asked him. "Believe what you want, it's the truth." Andrew told her. "Why don't we just get right to the chase here. What do you want? What's it going to take to get you to stay silent?" Olivia asked him. "10 million dollars." He said, causing Olivia to laugh. "I just got done telling my chief of staff this not even a week ago. I. Do. Not. Negotiate. With. Terrorists." Fitz told him with emphasis. "Oh but I'm not a terrorist." Andrew told Fitz. "I'm an American Hero. At least that's what my book will say about me." He finished. "What book? Who would want to read anything written by you? You were Vice President for a grand total of what? Six months?" Fitz asked, seething at this point. "The book that I am going to write. The book that your wife is going to publish and help me promote." Andrew said nonchalantly. "My wife will do no such thing. Not after everything you did to her." Fitz told Andrew. "Your wife is a big girl, she can speak for herself. Besides. These are my demands. If you do not meet them, I will tell the press all about how you went to war for your mistress." He said. "Why would you do that? I'm sure you are familiar with the term mutually assured destruction." Olivia asked him. "The truth is whatever I say it is. After all, I'm just the poor man who suffered a stroke. You're the whore who got all of those innocent people killed." Andrew said with a sneer. "You better be careful with the words you use to describe my wife. Especially in front of me." Fitz told him._

 _"Fitz, it's okay. He's not worth getting angry at." Olivia told him placing her hand in his. "One more thing before we go. Who is working for you?" Olivia asked. Andrew laughed in response. "Now, why would I tell you that? A guy has to have some secrets." He asked her. "Well, Mr. Vice President. It has been an honor coming to visit with you and see how you are recovering. Keep up the good work. It would be truly devastating if you were to have any setbacks." Fitz told Andrew as he wrapped an arm around Olivia and escorted her out of the room. "Congratulations on the new baby." Andrew offered. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to this child as well." This statement stopped Fitz and Olivia dead in their tracks. Olivia's breath caught in her throat and Fitz turned around and walked back over to Andrew's wheelchair. "One more remark like that and I might forget that I ever used to consider you a friend." Fitz said before walking away. "You have a week to consider my offer. For your sake, I hope you do." Andrew called after him._

* * *

"Liv?" Fitz offered. "Breathe, everything is going to be fine." He told her. "I know, I was just thinking." She told him. "About Andrew?" Fitz asked her. "Liv you need to put that out of your head." He told her. "How am I supposed to do that? Fitz he threatened our child." She told him. "We still have no idea who is helping him." Olivia told him. "Liv. I would die before I let anything happen to you or the baby. Tell me you know that." He implored. "I know that." She responded. "Liv you need to just take a breath. The last thing you need to do is freak out right before we head into the doctor's office." Olivia complied. "And be happy, we are about to find out if we are having a boy or a girl." Fitz said with a smile on his face and anticipation in his voice. Olivia smiled. She couldn't wait to see her child again.

When the car stopped agents soon arrived to help Fitz and Olivia out of the car. She grabbed his arm as they entered the doctor's office. "Breathe, everything is going to be fine." He told her one last time. "How long has it been since you've come to one of these appointments?" Olivia asked him. "How old is Karen now?" He joked. "Honestly, it's been way too long. I regret never coming to any of these with Mellie when she was pregnant with Teddy. To be honest I was angry." He told her. "With me? It was an idea that Mellie and I came up with together after all." She said. "With you… With Mellie… The whole situation really. I was ready to come forward with our relationship. I didn't want to be president if it meant that I couldn't have you. Then there was the idea of bringing yet another innocent child into a loveless, cold marriage." Fitz told her. She couldn't believe what she heard. He had never really opened up about any of that before. He had only expressed annoyance at the fact that he and Mellie forced that idea upon him. "But now you have Teddy." She offered. He smiled at that. "Yeah, now I have Teddy and no matter how he came into existence he is my little buddy and I can't imagine not being his father." Olivia smiled when she heard him say that. Once again she was astounded at the love Fitz had towards his children.

"Grant." The nurse called, peaking her head through the door into the lobby. "Moment of truth." Fitz told her as he stood up and took her hand. Once in the back the nurse weighed her and took her blood pressure. "Alright, the doctor should be in momentarily. I'll leave this gown here for you." The nurse said as she walked out the door. After Olivia changed into her gown Fitz helped her tie it in the back and he folded her clothes in a neat little pile. Moments later the doctor came in. "Olivia, so good to see you again. I see we have a guest. We are happy to have you here Mr. President." The doctor greeted him. "I wouldn't miss this." He told her. "I'm going to start with a pelvic exam, same as last time. Before that however I would like to double check your blood pressure. It's a little bit higher than I would like to see." The doctor told her before strapping on the blood pressure cuff. "It's come down a little bit since the nurse took your reading, but it's still higher than I want it to be. Now for the fun part." Her doctor said sarcastically. "Mr. President, if you wouldn't mind stepping out of the room. This will only take a little while." She told him. "I'll be right outside." He said placing a kiss on her forehead before exiting the room.

"He's a keeper." Doctor Adams said to her as he left the room. "I think he's pretty great." Olivia told her. "Alright Liv, you know the drill. You're going to feel a little pinch." The doctor told her. Olivia winced when she felt the cold medical instruments contact her bare skin. She let her mind wander during the examination and did not come back to reality until she heard the doctor announce that she was finished. She opened the door to let Fitz know that they were through with the examination.

"Now, for the moment I'm sure you are both ready for." The doctor said as she got out the gel and pulled the monitor closer to her. "Before we begin what are your plans. Do you two want to know the sex of the baby? Or are you doing a gender reveal? Talk to me." She said. "We want to find out the sex of the baby, but we will not be doing a gender reveal." Olivia told the doctor. "Alright, well I won't keep you in suspense any longer. This will be a little bit cold at first." She said as she began to move the wand around searching for a heartbeat. "There we go, nice and strong." The doctor said when the baby's heartbeat first came across the monitor. "Huh, interesting." Dr. Adams said. "What? Is the baby okay?" Olivia asked, worried. "The baby looks strong and healthy. However, it looks like I'm going to have to amend what I said at the last appointment. Instead of August 28, it looks like we can expect a baby either the second or third week of August. Let's see if your baby will let us take a peak or not." She said turning the monitor towards them. She moved the wand around a little bit to see if she could get a better look. "There!" She exclaimed when she finally found what she was looking for. She froze the picture so that Fitz and Olivia could get a better look. "It's a girl." Dr. Adams told them. A smile slowly appeared across Olivia's face. "And she's okay?" Olivia asked. "She is perfectly healthy. You don't have anything to worry about." She told them.

"Now how about we print off some pictures for the two of you?" She asked. "That would be great." Olivia said as she wiped the gel off of her stomach. "I want to see you back next month. I will let you set up an appointment with the receptionist up front. In the meantime, I want you to check your blood pressure on your own as often as possible until your next visit and avoid stress whenever possible." The doctor told her before she exited the room. Olivia turned to Fitz when the doctor left the room. "Another girl." Fitz said with a smile on his face. Olivia smiled "Looks like it. Are you happy?" She asked him. "Of course I'm happy. Like I said. I just want the two of you to be healthy. That's all I've ever wanted." He told her as he helped her untie the back of the gown so that she could put her clothes back on. "Ready to go home?" He asked. "Yeah, let's go book our next appointment and get out of here." She said taking his hand.

"So, what are we going to do about Andrew Nichols?" Olivia asked Fitz later that evening while they were sitting outside on the Truman Balcony. Olivia was nursing a mug of hot chocolate while Fitz was sipping on a glass of Scotch. They had a blanket draped across them to keep them warm in the late February evening. " _WE_ are not going to do anything. You heard what the doctor said, you need to keep your blood pressure under control." He told her. "We're not _really_ going to give him 10 million dollars are we?" She asked him. "Liv. What did I just say? I don't want you anywhere near this Andrew Nichols problem. I do however want you to keep your blood pressure down. If not for me, do it for our baby girl." He told her. "You keep saying that you want me to keep my blood pressure down, but being left out of important decisions like this only causes my blood pressure to spike." She told him. "You need to learn to let go, just a little bit. You are so used to controlling and micromanaging every aspect of everything you do. Babies can't be controlled or micromanaged. They eat on their own schedule, they sleep on their own schedule, the more you learn to let go now the easier it will be on you when the baby gets here." Fitz told her. "I know, you're right. I will." She told him. "Good." He said. "After we deal with the Andrew Nichols problem." Olivia finished. Fitz rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No Olivia!" He rose his voice. Standing up to look out over the railing. "Yes Fitz!" She said raising her voice to match his. "This man has had you taken from me once. I will not let him do it again!" Fitz told her, his voice flooded with concern. "And this man threatened the life of my child. I'm not going to let him get away with it." She told him as she walked over to him. "At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a mother. I didn't want a baby. You and I were barely speaking to each other. The impeachment proceedings had just ended and the world had just stopped calling me a whore. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I decided to keep the baby, but the thought of losing her now..." Her voice broke off. "…But Fitz, the thought of something happening to her now. It sends chills through my body. The fear of losing her suffocates me. I will not let him get away with it." She told him in a shaky voice. He stared at her for the longest time before speaking. "I hadn't realized you almost didn't go through with the pregnancy." He asked her. "Does it matter now Fitz? I obviously changed my mind." She told him taking his hand. He pulled away. "It matters to me Liv. Would you have told me? Before you had the abortion, would you have told me?" He asked, obviously hurt. "Fitz, don't do this." She pleaded. "What about after? Would you have told me?" He repeated. "Fitz, I don't…" She began. "Would you have told me?" He said, yelling this time. "No, okay. No, but that doesn't even matter anymore because I decided to keep this baby." Olivia said, trying not to let her emotions take over. "It does matter Liv because marriage is a partnership. I need to trust you to tell me these things. I need to trust that you will not make these major life-changing decisions without me." He told her. This caused her to laugh a little bit. "Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the blatant hypocrisy inherent in what you are saying? You are asking me to trust you when you don't trust me." Olivia told him.

"I trust you Liv. My reasons for wanting to keep you away from this Andrew Nichols situation is not because I don't trust you. It is because I love you. I want to keep you safe. To keep our daughter safe… but I get it. Why you wouldn't want to tell me." He told her. "You knew it would have hurt me. But you don't handle me Olivia remember?" He asked. "You don't get to keep things from me just because you don't want to hurt me. We need to talk about these things. I understand it's your body and ultimately it's your decision and I trust you to make the right decision for you, but Livvie… that's not the sort of thing that you should ever keep secret, the burden of that secret is too heavy for just one person." He told her. His voice softening. Olivia cleared her throat. "I know that now. Like I said before I'm glad I decided to keep the baby but Fitz… what you said about me not handling you. That goes both ways." She told him. "You don't get to freeze me out of situations like this. That man threatened my child. That man had me kidnapped and would have had me killed. If that doesn't earn me a seat at the table, I don't know what does." She told him. He sighed. "Okay. We will figure this out together. I want you to promise me something though." He said, reaching for her hand. "What?" She asked. "I want you to promise that if this gets to be too much for you that you will take a step back. Can you do that?" He asked. "I can do that." She answered.

She rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He followed suit and the two of them just stood there for the longest time. Holding each other on the Truman Balcony. "Livvie?" He said finally speaking up. "I'm really glad you decided to keep the baby as well. I can't wait to meet her. Although there is one thing that bothers me." He told her. She looked up at him with confusion on her face. "What's that?" She asked him. "How am I ever going to survive _another_ Olivia Pope?" He asked with a smile on his face. Her face broke into a smile. "You'll love every minute of it." Olivia told him. "Yeah, I will." He admitted. "It's late. We should get to bed." He told her as he led her inside.

"Livvie?" He asked once they were in bed. "Yeah?" She asked him. "Do you think I listen to you enough?" He asked. She lay there in the dark, pondering his question. "Why do you ask?" She said as she grabbed his hand that had been on her waist. "I'm just lying here thinking about the first few months of our marriage. It should have been such a wonderful time for the both of us. It should have been just the two of us in our own little bubble. Instead I can't help but go over in my head all of the ways that I shut you out. I forced you into this way too fast and I pushed you well outside of your comfort zone. Enough so that when you found out you were pregnant you didn't even feel like you could talk to me." He said. "Fitz, it's late. Do you really want to rehash this conversation again?" She asked him. "No I don't. I just wanted to apologize. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I didn't listen enough, and I would have supported you. No matter what." He told her, pulling her even closer to him. "I forgive you." She told him. "Besides, you're not the only liable person here. I froze you out. I could feel myself slipping away. I could see myself becoming Mellie and I hated that. I blamed you for that when I probably shouldn't have and I froze you out. When I found out I was pregnant all I could think of was that I couldn't bring a child into that dysfunction. I should have trusted you and I'm sorry I didn't." Olivia told him. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way." He whispered in her ear. "I know you are. Do you forgive me? For shutting you out?" She asked. "Livvie, of course. I told you before there is nothing you could do that I wouldn't forgive. That still stands." She smiled upon hearing this. "Good. I'm glad we settled this. Now, I'm going to bed. I love you." She told him. "I love you too." She heard him reply.

* * *

That next night Olivia and Fitz sat in the kitchen of the Residence. "So how was your day Mrs. Grant?" He asked her. "It was good. I had one tour this morning and two tours this afternoon. I worked on a speech that I am giving next week and I even started brainstorming nursery ideas." She told him. "Look at you, nesting already." He said with a smile. "Well, I've decided. The nursery here doesn't need to be anything too fancy. After all she will only be living here for what five months?" She asked. Fitz nodded his head. "So, I've decided just a simple paint job would suffice. I've got the choices narrowed down to two colors. Soft colors, pastels. That would work for a boy or a girl since we are not telling anyone." She told him. "I'll let you have the final say in what color we use. I found a local artist out of Vermont that is maybe about 45 miles outside of Rutland that is well known for taking books and turning them into bedroom paintings. When I called her to ask if she wanted to create a Velveteen Rabbit nursery for the baby she jumped at the chance." Olivia told him. "Sounds like you had a busy day." He replied. "How was your blood pressure today?" He asked. "You had the White House doctor check it didn't you?" He finished. "It was within normal range when I had it checked this morning." She told him. "Good. I want you to take it easy. Let the social secretary or your chief of staff pick up some of the slack around here." He suggested. "Fitz, I'm fine. The baby is fine. You need to stop worrying." She told him. "I can't. I'm her father. If you start to feel like you are stretched too thin. Just remember to ask for help." He told her. "I promise." She said with a smile on her face. "Good." He replied as he picked her up and set her on the counter. He began unbuttoning her blouse and starting kissing her. First on her lips, then her ear, then her neck.

"Gross. Is this why you invited me here? What married sex is getting too boring for you so you decided that it might be fun to have someone watch you?" A voice came which made Olivia jump and caused Fitz to sigh in frustration. "Abby?!" Olivia said in shock as she hopped off the counter and buttoned her blouse. "I wasn't expecting you this soon." She said as she turned around to greet her friend. "I'll say. You know this is where your food gets made right?" She asked. "You might want to leave a note letting the kitchen staff know to disinfect before they start working tomorrow." Abby finished. "Abby!" Olivia warned. "Okay fine, I'm just glad I walked in when I did. I'm afraid to think about what I would have seen if I had walked in only a few minutes later." She said. "Can we help you Abby?" Olivia asked. "Only if you are going to tell me why I have been summoned to the kitchen this late at night." Abby said. "Later." Fitz said. "When everyone gets here. I only want to have this conversation once." He finished. "Who else are we expecting?" Abby asked. "Am I late?" Mellie asked in a hurried voice. "I hurried as fast as I could. Teddy wasn't feeling well and he didn't want me to leave again." She said setting her bag on the table. "No. We're still waiting on a few people. What's wrong with Teddy?" Fitz asked. Concerned. "He's fine. The doctor assured me it was just a 24-hour bug." Mellie said, assuring Fitz there was nothing to be worried about. "You took our son to the doctor and you didn't tell me?" Fitz asked. "Fitz, it's fine. I'm sure if it had been something more serious than that Mellie would have told you." Olivia said, trying to diffuse the situation. "You should listen to your wife, Fitz." Mellie shot back. "What symptoms does he have?" Fitz asked. "Fever, nausea, vomiting… Typical stomach bug symptoms. Fitz, he is just fine. It's nothing to worry about." Before Fitz could respond Cyrus and David entered the room.

"I wasn't aware these little meetings were still taking place. Glad to see we've got some new members. Nice to see you Red. David, welcome to the club." He said as the two of them walked over to where the rest of the group was gathered. "Um… Thanks. I think." David said as he walked over towards Abby. "What are we doing here?" He whispered in her ear. "I don't know yet apparently not everyone is here." Abby told him. "No. We are still waiting on a few more people." Fitz told them. "We're not waiting for Verna or Hollis are we?" Cyrus joked. "Last I checked they are not members of this party anymore." Olivia shot Cyrus a look. After a few minutes, Liz walked in. "Lizzie Bear!" Cyrus said in mock excitement. "Sorry, I'm late. Jane has that bug that is going around." She said. Mellie shot Fitz a smug look. "Okay great!" Olivia said, sensing the hostility between Mellie and Fitz. "Now that everyone is here… Let's begin." Olivia announced.

"Right!" Fitz spoke up. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have summoned you all here this evening." Fitz said. "It has become apparent to me that we have an Andrew Nichols problem." He finished. "I'll say. He's still breathing." Abby muttered. Earning a chuckle out of Mellie and Liz. "Not now Abby." Olivia said. "The problem is that he is awake. He is prepared to talk if his demands are not met. That spells trouble for every single person in this room. We all knew about Olivia's kidnapping and the role he played. We also all work at or for the White House. This means that if he were to come forward we are all looking at facing some serious consequences." Fitz announced. "What he has to say implicates every person sitting in this room tonight." He continued. "What is he possibly going to say that won't implicate himself in Olivia's kidnapping?" Abby asked. "He seems to think that he can tell the press whatever story he wants and get away with it by playing the sympathy card." Olivia spoke up. "He's going to tell the truth. For the most part. He is just going to leave out the part where he is the one who staged my kidnapping and skipped straight to the part where the president went to war for his mistress." She said.

"What are his demands?" Liz asked. "10 million dollars and he wants me to promote his book." Olivia deadpanned. "What book?" Abby asked in disgust. "Who would want to hear anything that creep has to say?" Liz asked. "He is going to write a book. Explaining all about what a real hero and patriot he is. How he survived an attack by the West Angolans and suffered a stroke as a result of said attack." Olivia replied. "I'm in for my share." Liz said. "I'm in for my share. One dollar." Cyrus spoke up. "Okay well David and I don't have that kind of money and there is no way in hell that Oliva should have to pay off her kidnapper so we are out." Abby said. "I'm out." Mellie stated. "I don't have that cash just lying around." She said flatly. "Yes you do. I gave it to you in the divorce." Fitz replied. "You didn't give me anything I didn't earn." Mellie said, temper flaring. "Okay people! Breathe. We have six days to come up with a new plan. Anyone else have any ideas?" Olivia asked. "Can't your minion of the night fix this?" Liz asked, clearly referring to Huck. "Do I really need to remind you that I am the Attorney General? Joking about murder in front of me or the president is kind of frowned upon in this circle." David said finally speaking up. "We're not using Huck." Olivia said. "Thank you." David told her. "Why are you thanking her, he could implicate you too. You saw that video of Liv, you ordered the raid of the warehouse where she had been kept." Liz shot back.

"She's right David, you're as culpable as any of the rest of us in here." Abby told him. "Well, not everyone." Cyrus spoke up with a grin on his face. "What's that supposed to mean?" Mellie asked sharply. "Please let me be the one to tell them Sir. It would make this old man's day." Cyrus said. "Tell us what?" Liz asked. "Cyrus has immunity." Fitz said. "It was a condition of his when I asked him to come back as my chief of staff. He has immunity against any and all crimes he's committed while in the White House." Fitz admitted. "What?" The group spoke in unison. "Why is he even here then?" Mellie asked. "What?" Cyrus laughed. "I'm still a member of this distinguished club, albeit a non-voting one." He said. "Enough!" Olivia shouted once more. "All of this squabbling is getting us nowhere. We have to decide on a course of action. We only have six days to meet his demands." Olivia said taking control back of the situation. "Well no one wants to pony up 10 million dollars and murder is off the table what other options do we have?" Liz asked. "I'll talk to him." Mellie spoke up. "We had a connection once upon a time. I will play on that and see if I can get him to let this go." Olivia nodded. "It could work. It's worth a shot. You go talk to him tomorrow and let us know how it goes." Mellie nodded. "Okay everyone. Until tomorrow then." Fitz said. "I know it goes without saying but I am going to say it anyway, this meeting never happened and the things we discuss are only discussed in here." Fitz said before dismissing everyone.

"Now that we have that taken care of. We have other matters to discuss." Olivia told him. She took his hand and led him down the hallway to the nursery. "Oh yeah, and what other matters might those be?" He asked with a smile on his face. When they arrived in the nursery Olivia led him to a table that held two paint swatches. "So, our first choice is meadow daydream." She said holding up a pale green square. He nodded approvingly. "And the second choice?" Fitz asked. "Is soft duckling." She said holding up the pale-yellow square. "Soft duckling?" He asked is astonishment, letting out a small laugh. "They're names for colors in a baby's nursery what did you expect?" She asked. "So, which one do you like?" She asked him. "I like the green." He said. "Good. I'm glad. That's the one I was rooting for. Now that we have that out of the way I know you really want to call the nanny and see how Teddy is doing." She told him. "While you are doing that I am going to go get ready for bed." She kissed him on the cheek. "Let me know how he is doing." She said before leaving the room.

When Fitz returned Olivia had already gotten ready for bed. She was in her silk pajamas drinking hot chocolate and eating a bowl of popcorn. "Anything good on?" He asked. "Some paparazzi leaked pictures of us with Teddy at the planetarium over the weekend." She told him. "Unbelievable. You know just once I would like to enjoy some quality time with my family without having it documented by the leaches looking for their next meal ticket." Fitz told her. "You're the president of the United States. That is never going to happen again. We will never be normal." She told him. He grumbled something inaudible and headed to the bathroom. "It's doing wonders for your approval rating." She told him. "How is Teddy doing?" She asked. He reappeared with a toothbrush in his hands. "The nanny gave him chicken broth for dinner but he wasn't able to keep it down. After that she has stuck to just giving him Pedialyte pops. She gave him children's ibuprofen before he went to bed. His fever was 101.5 degrees." Fitz told her. "Poor kid. I hope he gets better soon." Olivia said as she took another sip of hot chocolate. "So this is the new thing now?" He asked. "Hot chocolate and popcorn." He said. She smirked. "Until I can go back to drinking wine it is." She told him.

"Are you worried?" She asked him. "About?" He asked. "You know." She told him. "No. We will see what Mellie can do and then we will go from there." He told her. We're not out of options yet. Whatever happens we will be okay." He told her as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Who said I was sharing?" She asked jokingly. "Do you hear how she talks to me bug?" He asked placing his free hand on her stomach. "You won't talk to me like that will you?" He asked seriously. She laughed. "Not for another 14-15 years anyway." She told him. "What if Mellie can't get through to him?" She asked. "We will think of something. Don't worry. He is not going to get away with this. Until then we are not going to worry about him. We are going to paint our baby's nursery. We are going to buy furniture and clothes and diapers and we are not going to let Andrew Nichols take up another minute of our time." He told her. "Now, let's go to bed." He said turning off the tv and taking her hand.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry it has taken me so long to update guys. The winter break was INSANE for number of kids that I keep at work doubled from 3 to 6 for two weeks and I am just now getting ready to start a new semester as well. I have started and stopped this chapter so many times because nothing seemed like it worked. Hopefully you will like what I came up with. Also to address a few of your concerns I would like to start out by saying that Liv and the baby are going to be fine. I would not write a story about Liv deciding to keep the baby if I planned on doing anything to hurt said baby. As far as Jake goes, his appearance was never meant to be permanent but he does play a pivotal role in a chapter that has yet to be determined. As far as him being at Rowan's when Liv went to go see her dad that will be explained whenever I do decide to write that chapter. As far as the due date is concerned I threw that in there because doctors rarely ever know with 100% certainty when a baby will arrive. Before my youngest nephew was born the doctor changed the due date twice on my step sister and he still wound up being late. I hope that clears some things up.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 _Last night:_

" _I tried speaking with him. That man is insufferable and disgusting." Mellie said once the meeting had begun. "It was a longshot anyway. I don't think anyone actually expected it to work." Olivia said. "That takes us back to square one though doesn't it?" David asked. "What do we plan on doing now?" He continued. "I try talking to him." Liz said. "We used to be a thing once upon a time. He might be interested in talking to me." She suggested. "Do we really think that will actually work?" David asked. "Do you have any other suggestions?" Liz asked him. "Sir, I might point out that you are looking to replace your Secretary of Defense. Why don't we offer it to Andrew Nichols?" Abby pointed out. "The man staged a terrorist attack to get me to go to war with West Angola and when that didn't work out, he kidnapped Olivia. I don't trust him to keep my house plants alive let alone the men and women in the armed forces." Fitz said. "Not to mention that in 10 months we are all on our way out of here." Cyrus told her. "Thank you for the gentle reminder that we will all be out of the job soon." David said rolling his eyes. "Liz had a great idea a few days ago. I'd like to discuss that some more." Cyrus said. "NO!" David and Fitz said in unison. "Whatever we decide to do I suggest we do it fast. It's Thursday night and we only have until Monday morning until democracy as we know it is over." Cyrus said._

 _"Cyrus is right." Olivia began. "Not about killing Andrew." She added for emphasis when everyone looked at her with concern. "Whatever we do I suggest we do it fast." She finished. "Why thank you Liv. That's so sweet. I can't remember the last time you agreed with me." Cyrus said playfully. "It landed us in a secret club similar to this one." She said dryly. "Can we focus please?" Fitz said. Calling everybody back to the situation at hand. "Cyrus and Liv are right about one thing. We are running out of time. Fast." Fitz said. "Which is why I suggest we go back to our original option. As much as I hate to just throw money at the problem. I don't see another way out of this. Besides, I really don't look forward to a round two of the impeachment hearings. "I know some of you had some reservations about this the last time we met but that being said I believe that this is our only option left to consider." Fitz told them. "I'm in." Liz said. "Are there any other takers?" Fitz asked looking around the room. "Fine. Whatever. I'm in too." Mellie said. "Oh! What the hell?!" Cyrus exclaimed. "Who wants to retire anyway? It's not like I wanted to send my daughter to college or anything." He finished, throwing his hands up. "Alright. That settles it. Cyrus clear my schedule for the morning and arrange to have Andrew Nichols brought here. It's time we settled this." Fitz said before dismissing everyone._

"So What's your plan with Andrew today?" Olivia asked Fitz as she worked her way from Warrior to Warrior 2. "It's pretty straightforward. I'm going to offer him the money and hope that it's enough for him to keep his mouth shut." Fitz told Olivia as he brushed his teeth. "It's what he asked for, but with him it's all about the games." She said in between breaths. "It'll work. If not, we will just hold him until we can think of another solution." Fitz told her. "Fitz, you can't just hold him prisoner indefinitely. That's kind of illegal." She reminded him. "Not if I hold him under the Patriot Act." Fitz reminded her. "How do you expect that will play over?" Olivia asked him. Still focused on her yoga. "Olivia, the man is a terrorist. He staged a bombing and made it look like the West Angolans were behind it." Fitz reminded her. "I'm aware of this, but the public isn't. They are going to have questions if you just now decide to take action. Such as, when did you become aware of this. Or why wait so long to take action?" Olivia said. "We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully we won't get to that bridge." Fitz said as his phone started ringing.

"Mellie? To what do I owe the pleasure?" Fitz asked sardonically. "Yes Mellie I am aware that my daughter will be arriving this evening." Fitz said trying to hide his annoyance. "No I haven't heard from the school. Why is something wrong?" Fitz asked. His stifled annoyance turning to concern. Olivia looked up at him from her yoga mat. "Why wouldn't the school call me? I am her father. I need to know things like this." Fitz said almost shouting. "Thanks for letting me know, I will talk to her this weekend… I think a one-on-one approach would be better at first. If I need help I will let you know. In the mean time I will start looking at other schools." Fitz said adjusting his tie. "I also wanted to let you know that I would like to take Teddy and Karen up to Vermont next weekend… Because they are my kids too. I am meeting with an interior designer and I want to know how the kids want to decorate their rooms… I know that Mellie, that's why I am giving you a whole week's notice. Next weekend is my weekend with Teddy anyway, I just thought you might want to be kept in the loop." Fitz told her. "I'll call you if I need reinforcement, have a good day Mellie." Fitz told her before hanging up.

"That didn't sound good." Olivia said as she transitioned to another pose. "Karen is having some trouble in school." Fitz said as he put his watch on. "Why would you need to look into different schools?" Olivia asked him. Concerned. "Because she is facing expulsion. They had a dorm inspection this morning while the students were in class and they found marijuana and a bottle of vodka in Karen's dorm. Obviously, they are looking into Karen's roommate as well but so far neither one of them are confessing to anything. The contraband was found in Karen's belongings but there is still a chance that her roommate put it in her belongings to throw suspicion off her." Fitz mused. "What does your gut tell you?" Olivia asked him. "It's hers." He said simply. This isn't the first time she's gotten into trouble. She's confessed to smoking and using drugs and drinking before. Hell we've both seen the video tape of her extra curriculars." Fitz continued. "Fitz, this is bigger than that. We need to get on top of this before it gets out. Who's to say that the other girl won't talk. Or that the parents won't. If something like this gets out this will not only effect Karen's chances of getting into college but it will blow back on you too. How can president Grant control the country when he can't even control his 17-year-old daughter?" Olivia said standing to face him.

"What's her roommate's name? Who are her parents? The First Daughter facing expulsion over drugs and alcohol. Your party of family values and conservatism would hang you out to dry. We need to make sure that they don't talk." Olivia told him. "I'm going to meet Quinn today I'll see what she can find out about this girl and her parents. I'll make sure they don't talk." Olivia told him. "Olivia I appreciate what you are trying to do but the school values it's students' privacy. That's why Mellie and I chose to send the kids there. They don't want this getting out any more than we do. There is no need to go all Olivia Pope on them. So as much as I love that your first instinct is to protect my daughter and me from this there is no need. This incident does mean that we have to meet with the school's disciplinary board during the break to discuss our options." Fitz told her.

"Maybe pulling her would be good for her. Maybe a school in DC would be her best option. It's clear to me that she needs more adult supervision than she is getting at school. Sidwell is a great school. Several previous First Children went to that school and they have all thrived. Georgetown Day School is also a good option. I just want to make sure that she is getting what she needs." Olivia said. "We will figure it out. I will have a talk with her when she gets here." Fitz said. "Are you sure you don't want to have Mellie here with you to have this talk?" Olivia asked. Fitz looked at her closely. "I know. She's not my favorite person either, but it seems to me that Karen needs to see her parents present a united front on this subject." Olivia explained. "Yeah, maybe you are right. I'll call her back. I'll invite Mellie and Teddy here this weekend and we will talk to her." Fitz confirmed. "I can keep Teddy occupied while you two deal with Karen." Olivia offered. "He will love that." Fitz added. "That would be wonderful. Now, I'm off to go deal with our other problem. Will I see you at lunch?" Fitz asked. "Yes. I've got Jennifer delivering my speech for the Voice of Hope today so that leaves me with a few free hours today." She confirmed. "You're letting your chief of staff deliver your speech?" Fitz asked grabbing her around her waist. "I'm delegating." She said, smiling grabbing Fitz's waist in return. "Aren't you worried about optics Mrs. Grant?" He asked with a coy smile. "That's why I have a press secretary of my own Mr. Grant. It's her job to make sure I look good. Besides I thought this was what you wanted." She said. "It is what I wanted. I just didn't think that you would actually listen to me." He said baffled. "She's my daughter too. I want her to be healthy as much as anyone. If that means delegating then I guess that's what I will have to do." She said. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, I really do have to go. I love you. We'll have lunch in my office later." He said kissing her quickly on the lips before departing.

"Liv, the press is going crazy this morning. They have noticed that you are starting to show and wonder if a gender reveal is in the future. Also, what is this I hear about you skipping a speech at the Voice of Hope? There are rumors going around that you are having complications with your pregnancy." Abby asked. Bombarding Olivia at the elevator leading to the East Wing. "Abby, I have a press secretary. Maybe you should try speaking to her." Olivia said making her way to her office. "I have and she gave me the run around. I was hoping to go straight to the source." She said as she followed Olivia to her office. "Have you seen Diana this morning? She usually beats me here." Olivia asked an intern when she realized that Diana was not at her post. "No ma'am." The young girl named Kaitlyn answered. "What are you working on right now?" Olivia asked. "Just some filing ma'am." The young girl answered. "Not anymore." Olivia said. "Ma'am?" The young girl asked, confused. "I need you to answer phones, can you do that for me?" She asked. "Yes ma'am." The girl answered. "Thank you. Here is Diana's number, I need you to get ahold of her." Olivia said writing down a number on a piece of paper.

"That's not like her. You think something happened?" Abby asked. "I don't know Abby. I hope not. Now to answer your questions. No, there will be no gender reveal. Fitz and I are keeping it a secret. As for the other question. Are you really going to listen to all these rumor and speculations? I thought you were smarter than that Abby." Olivia said straightening up some files on her desk. "That's what your press secretary told me. So, they are only rumors?" Abby asked. "I'll tell you what I told my press secretary. I am committed 110 percent to my duties as First Lady, however something pressing has come to light that requires my full attention and as much as I hate missing the Speech at the Voice of Hope I have no other choice but to stay here and resolve the issue at hand." Olivia told Abby. "So, there is nothing wrong with the baby then?" Abby asked sincerely. "I only ask because as your best friend I am concerned and I want you to know that I am here for you." She added. "Thank you, Abby. I know you are. We are fine though. The doctor just wants me to keep my stress levels down as much as possible. And as much as I hate it that means only making minimum public appearances." Olivia said. "Why aren't we telling the press that?" Abby asked. "You were here after Jerry died. Mellie was consumed by grief and the press devoured her. They called her crazy. They called her unfit to be First Lady. The tabloids dubbed her Mental Mellie for crying out loud. The last thing I want is for the press to call me weak or fragile just because I have to sit out on a few public appearances." Olivia reasoned. "Understood." Abby said firmly.

"Ma'am, there is a Quinn Perkins here to see you. Also, I'm not having any luck reaching Diana." The young woman announced upon opening Olivia's door. "Thank you. Send Quinn in and keep trying to reach Diana." Olivia said. "If you're looking for your receptionist, I was at her apartment this morning. She skipped town." Quinn announced. "Hi Abby." Quinn said acknowledging Abby's presence. "Hi. I'm sorry but why were you at Diana's apartment this morning?" Abby asked curiously. "Working a case for Liv. Liv, you wanted me to do background checks on your staff to see if I could find out who sent you the note and the video." Quinn began, speaking at a rapid pace. "Well, upon my initial search I found nothing. However, after diving deeper into her financials I noticed that she has an off-shore account set up under a false name and that only two deposits were made. Both of them corresponding to the dates in which you received those weird messages." Quinn finished. "You're telling me that Diana is behind the messages? Why? What motive does she have? Who put her up to it?" Olivia asked. "Do you really have to ask?" Quinn asked sarcastically. "No, but I would like to know what I am dealing with before I jump to the wrong conclusion." Olivia told her. "I traced the money to a corporation that was set up by Andrew Nichols back before he became the president's Lieutenant Governor." Quinn told her with certainty. "Thanks Quinn. I appreciate everything that you have done for me. However, there is still one more thing I need from you. I need you to track down Diana for me." Olivia said. "Already on it. I've had Huck put a trace on her credit and debit cards so if she uses them anywhere we will know." Quinn confirmed. "Thanks Quinn. I appreciate everything you have done." Olivia told her. "Not a problem, I should get back to the office though. Abby it was good to see you." Quinn said before letting herself out.

"I'm sorry what's this about a note and a video?" Abby asked, concerned. "I got a note on Valentine's Day and a video a week later. It's how Fitz and I first found out that Andrew Nichols was trying to blackmail us. Again." Olivia said annoyed. "Liv, you should have mentioned this before. For no other reason than the interest of full disclosure." Abby told her. "What would be the point? Everyone already knows what they need to know." Olivia told her. "Abby, can we just let it go please? I'd rather not dwell on Andrew Nichols or his scare tactics anymore. I have more pressing issues at hand. Besides, Fitz is handling Andrew Nichols right now." Olivia told Abby. "Sure thing." Abby said. "So, talking points?" Olivia asked. "What?" Abby asked, confused. "For the press." Olivia elaborated. "Oh, right! This pregnancy is a personal matter and you and the President would like the press to respect your privacy. As far as complications go, the rumors are nothing more than baseless, unsubstantiated claims that serve no other purpose than to pull attention away from the State Dinner being held for King Richard at the end of the month." Abby said. "Good girl. Now that we have that out of the way. How have you been lately? We haven't really had a chance to catch up. Are you and Leo doing okay?" Olivia inquired. "Leo and I are not a thing anymore." Abby confessed. "What? Abby are you okay? When did this happen?" Olivia asked, concerned that she was just now hearing about this. "I'm fine Liv, don't worry about me. It happened after I had to cancel our plans on Valentine's Day." Olivia grew enraged when hearing about this. "You have got to be kidding me?! Valentine's Day was crazy for everyone working in the White House. Cyrus had to drive Fitz away from Camp David." Olivia fumed. "Liv, it's okay. Look, I thought Leo was someone who would be able to deal with the stresses of my job but it turns out I was wrong." Abby assured her. "So, I notice that you and David seem to be spending more time together. The last couple of nights I have noticed you arriving together and leaving together. Is he the reason you are so okay with your break-up with Leo?" Olivia asked causing Abby to blush. "We are just friends Liv…" She tried to say. "Right, so what's with the stupid smile on your face right now?" Olivia asked. "I don't know what you're talking about." Abby said trying to hide the smile on her face. "Uhuh. Liar!" Olivia accused.

"You had sex with him didn't you?" Olivia asked. "Liv!" Abby exclaimed in false modesty. "What? It's okay for you to ask about my sex life but not for me to ask about yours?" Olivia asked. The smile returned to Abby's face. "Okay you're right. We're having sex." Abby confirmed. "I knew it. What was it like?" Olivia asked. "Liv?!" Abby almost shouted. "What I'm sorry. It's been almost a month Since Fitz and I have done more than just kiss each other. My hormones are driving me crazy and I am DYING over here." Olivia confessed. "Sounds like something you should talk to your husband about." Abby joked. "I'm serious Abby. I need sex in the worst way imaginable. Help a girl out. Talk to me. At least tell me if you are satisfied or not." Olivia said with longing in her voice. "Believe me, I am EXTREMELY satisfied." Abby told her with an even bigger smile on her face. "Good for you. I'm happy that at least one of us is having orgasms." Olivia told her. "Right, as much as I would love to sit here and discuss this with you I have to get back to the briefing room. Sorry to hear about your problems. Hope you sort them out soon." Abby told Olivia as she stood up to leave. "Bye Abby. It's been nice catching up." Olivia said walking her to the door. Olivia sat down and began writing a speech for the Georgetown chapter of Students ending Slavery. The organization was originally set up at a University in Texas, but soon found its way to colleges in surrounding states and eventually found its way to Olivia's Alma Mater. She had been asked by the chapter president to speak at an event being held next week. After several attempts at writing her opening remarks she found that she could no longer focus on her work.

She made her way through the White House and to the Oval office where her husband resided. "Charlotte is the president in?" Olivia asked when she reached her destination. "No ma'am, but you are more than welcome to wait for him." Charlotte said gesturing her to enter his office. Once inside Olivia placed her bag in the chair by the fire place and made her way over to his desk. After a few minutes Fitz returned to his office where he was greeted by the sight of Olivia waiting on his desk for him. "Hi." He said with that stupid, goofy smile of his. "Hi." She smiled back sweetly in her best sultry, sexy voice. "I have our food." He said simply as he held up the sack of food containing their Gettysburger. "Good I'm hungry, but I was thinking we could have dessert first." She said hopping off of his desk and motioning towards the room adjacent to the Oval. "Charlotte, hold my calls." He called before he closed the office door. He placed the sack of food on the desk and followed Olivia into the secret room. Once inside Olivia locked the door and pushed Fitz up against the wall. Once she had Fitz where she wanted him she began unfastening his pants. "Livvie…" He began but his voice soon trailed off when she grabbed his penis and began massaging him slowly. Once he became hard Olivia placed her mouth around him. She could feel his entire body shudder. "Good God." He gasped as if all the air had been knocked out of him. She placed her hands on his hips for stability as she began to bob her head back and forth. Olivia could feel him place his hands on the back of her head as if he were guiding both the pace and the ferocity of her activity.

After several minutes of giving his oral Oliva heard Fitz demand. "My turn." Olivia stopped what she was doing when Fitz held his hands out to help Olivia back up. Once on her feet Olivia kissed Fitz with more passion and fervor than she had in a long time. She let out a whimper when Fitz kissed her behind the ear and then started nibbling at her neck. Her moans became louder when Fitz's hand lifted up her dress and started massaging her sensitive clit. "Oh my God. I need you inside of me." She demanded. She heard the mischievous chuckle that escaped his lips. "Not yet." She heard him say as she undid the zipper on the back of her dress, causing it to fall to the floor. Olivia stepped out of her dress just as Fitz began placing a trail of kisses up the inside of her leg. "Fitz, what are you…" She began. Her voice trailed off the closer he got to her panties. Without warning, Fitz grabbed the piece of fabric in his mouth and began to pull them off with his teeth. She could feel herself becoming wetter. Every inch of her was on fire. Once her panties were down she stepped out of them and opened her legs wider for Fitz. She came undone when she felt his warm breath near the opening of her vagina. "Fitz, now…" She cried. He led her backwards to the couch that was in the room. From there he threw her legs over his shoulders and began sucking her clit. Her moans became louder when she felt his middle finger dig around inside of her.

With each pump of his finger it became harder and harder for Olivia to stifle her cries and moans and gasps. "Now Fitz! I NEED YOU NOW!" She screamed. Olivia pulled Fitz onto the couch. Once he was sitting Olivia straddled him and slowly began to lower herself onto him. "FFF… Oh my God you feel amazing." Fitz said as he breathed out a heavy sigh. Once Olivia adjusted herself to the length and the width of his penis she began riding him. Slowly at first, then as another orgasm washed over her she picked up the pace. Fitz placed his hands on her hips to keep her steady. "I'm almost there sweet baby." She heard him say with a hitch in his voice. Without a word, she leaned forward and kissed him. She stopped riding him and began placing kisses along his jawline until she reached his ear. She pursed her lips together and began blowing a stream of air into his ear. At that he let out a sigh and his body went limp. Slowly Olivia got off of him and cuddled up next to him on the couch.

"That was… WOW!" Fitz mused, still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah… I'm not sure how much longer we can keep doing that one." She told him as she rested her head on his chest. "You're just barely showing. Other people are just now noticing. Mellie was a lot bigger than you at this point when she was pregnant with Jerry." Fitz assured her. "Fitz?" She began. "Huh?" He looked over at her. "Maybe we can refrain from talking about your ex-wife after just having sex?" She asked. "Sorry, you're right." He apologized. "I love hearing you say that." She said with a smug look on her face. "I figured you would be used to it by now." He said with a smile. "Never." She said as she stood up. Slowly she began to get dressed. "Hey now, what are you doing that for?" He whined. "I'm hungry, and your daughter doesn't like it when I don't feed her." Olivia told him. "Zip me up?" She asked. He complied before he began adjusting his own clothes. "Have you felt her move yet?" He asked. "I think so. Although I'm not sure. It's mostly just a flutter like all the books describe." Olivia told him as she opened the door after he zipped his pants. "Why didn't you tell me?" Fitz asked as he grabbed a burger and some fries. "Like I said. I wasn't sure what I felt." She told him as she sat down.

"How did it go with Andrew?" Olivia asked before taking a bite of her burger. "He gave me the run around. His price has gone up to 20." He said flatly as he dipped a fry in some ketchup. "20?" She asked in astonishment. "Billion." He told her. "What the hell is wrong with him?" She asked. "He's just trying to get to us." He reasoned. "I need to talk to him. Quinn stopped by today and told me that my receptionist was behind the video and the note. She received payments from him on two separate occasions and both of those dates correlate to the dates that we got those messages." Olivia told him. "Have you asked her about it?" Fitz asked. "She never showed up today. I have an intern answering the phones today. Either way, it looks like I am going to be needing to hire a new receptionist." Olivia told him. "So, let me go back and talk to him. I would rather you not talk to him. I'm afraid he would do nothing but upset you." He told her. "Fitz, I need to speak with him. I get that you want to look out for me but don't. We don't handle each other remember?" She reminded him. "Liv. At least let me go with you. We can go this evening before Karen gets here." Fitz told her. "Okay. Have you called Mellie back?" Olivia asked. "Yes. She is glad that I changed my mind." Fitz told her. "Have you thought about how you are going to handle Karen?" Olivia asked. "Mellie and I talked about it. We are going to put her into a school here. Mellie and I will look into Sidwell next week. We are also looking into getting her into therapy. It's obvious that her behavior is a cry for help and it will not go away if we ignore it." Fitz told her.

"Honestly, this should have been done sooner. I'm kicking myself for not seeing that." Fitz admitted. "The therapy or the transfer?" Olivia asked him. "Both. She thrived at that school in the beginning. She's a straight-A student, she's active in theater. She loved it. Hindsight being 20/20 and everything I could see the signs. I just don't understand how I could have ignored them this whole time. Turns out you were right about this world being filled with bad parents." He confessed. "Hey, don't do that to yourself. The signs may have been here the whole time, but sometimes we can't see things for what they are until WE are ready to see them." Olivia told him. "Seriously, how did you get so smart?" He laughed as he took another bite of his burger. "Didn't you know? I'm an expert in family drama. My father is a stone-cold assassin, my mother is a terrorist, and my father refers to my ex as his son because Jake was groomed by my father to 'handle' me." Olivia confirmed. "When you put it that way…" He said with a laugh as he shook his head. "I'll come and get you after I am done here for the evening and we will go see Andrew together okay?" He told her. "Okay. Hey Fitz…" She paused. "Yeah?" He said looking up at her. "Thanks for doing this. I need to know what he is up to." She told him as she threw her trash away and walked back to her office.

"Mrs. Grant?" Kaitlyn asked sticking her head through Olivia's door. "The president is here for you." She said allowing Fitz to enter her office. "Thanks Kaitlyn. You're welcome to go home. You did great work today." Olivia told her. "Thank you, Ma'am." Kaitlyn said ducking out of her office. Fitz looked back at Kaitlyn as she exited the room. "When did we allow 12-year-olds to intern at the White House?" He asked with a laugh. "She's 20. She's a Junior at Georgetown. She is getting ready to take her LSAT next month." Olivia explained to him. "Karen looks older than her." Fitz pointed out. "They are about the same age." Olivia said. "I'm just about ready to go." She told him as she put her desk back into some sort of order. "What are you working on right now?" Fitz asked. "I'm going over the seating arrangement for our State Dinner at the end of the month. This will be the first State Dinner King Richard will be attending since the death of his wife." Olivia told him. "And since his mother abdicated her role as Queen." Fitz reminded her. "I can't believe that he would choose to come back here after everything that happened." Fitz rambled. "I spoke with one of his advisors and he said that he is trying to show the country that he is moving forward. What better way to do that than to return to the place where his wife died?" Olivia told him. "I applaud him for that. It seems like so long ago that he visited. So much has happened since then." He mused. "You're telling me. Last time he visited we were still sneaking around the White House trying not to get caught." Olivia told him.

"Trying and failing. It wasn't long after that State Dinner that we got caught." Fitz said finishing her story. "Like I could forget the entire country calling me a whore?" Olivia asked him. "Livvie…" He began. "Fitz, it's okay. I know most people don't think that way anymore but we can't deny that it happened just because it's uncomfortable to think about. Besides, I'm kind of glad that it happened." She said as they continued their descent into the basement of the White House. "I'm sorry what?" He asked her stopping dead in his tracks. "I know it sounds crazy, but if those pictures had never been leaked how long would it have been until we got married? Before I admitted to being your mistress you were ready to take Mellie back, do you remember this?" She asked him. "I remember." He admitted. "If you had taken Mellie back do you honestly think we would have ever gotten married? If I had ended up getting pregnant anyway, I would have had to go through it alone. A married president can't be seen with his pregnant mistress." Olivia told him. "That never would have happened. I would never let you go through this alone. You have to know that." Fitz told her. "I would have made you stay away. As hard as I worked to make you president, I wouldn't have let you throw it away. Not when you were so close to the finish line anyway." She told him. "Well, thank God you never had to do that. We never have to hide ever again… Do you think that King Richard is ready to talk Naval bases yet?" Fitz asked, changing the subject. "That was subtle." Olivia said with a laugh. "What can I say? I really don't like calling you my mistress." Fitz said as he opened the door to the bunker where Andrew was being kept.

"You fixed that didn't you Mr. President?" Andrew asked, eavesdropping on their conversation. You might want to be careful what you say around here. You never know who could be listening in." He said. "Mrs. Grant. You look radiant as always. Did you two agree to my terms is that why you are here?" He asked. For a second Olivia almost felt sorry for Andrew. It was almost like he was living out a fate worse than death. For someone who had once been as powerful and lively as him to be confined to a wheelchair unable to even feed himself. Needing to have a tube place in his stomach so that he could eat. She ALMOST felt sorry for him. Then she remembered what kind of animal he was and the feeling faded quickly. "No." Olivia told him. "We're here to discuss something different. Diana Wheeler." She finished. He looked up at her from his wheelchair feigning ignorance. "Don't play dumb with me Andrew. I know better than that. You paid my receptionist to slip me note on Valentine's Day and then a week later you paid her to send me the video coercing Fitz into war with West Angola." She finished. "That is quite a story. Your receptionist must have a vivid imagination." He said wiping the corners of his mouth from where the slurring was causing him to drool a little bit. "It's not a story it's a fact. She has an off-shore account that received two separate payments. Both of the dates lining up with the dates that I received those notes both payments coming from the corporation that you started before you became Lieutenant Governor of California and you expect me to believe that's just a coincidence?" She asked him.

"I for one, would love to hear what your receptionist has to say about this." Andrew said. A smile spread on the stronger half of his face. "ENOUGH!" Fitz boomed. "TELL HER WHAT SHE WANTS TO KNOW!" Fitz said becoming more agitated with every passing moment. "You know what I want to know?" He asked. "Is she always this bossy? Is she this domineering in the bedroom? Or does she relinquish control to you? It's been my experience that the more demanding the woman the more submissive she is in the bedroom." Fitz's anger was reaching its boiling point Olivia could tell. She placed a hand on him to relax him. "Speaking of the video… Can you believe how much she went for? Do you think that if I were to sell her again, she would go for the same amount? Would it be more or less do you think? She's not your whore anymore Fitz, she's your wife which means that her security clearance is a lot higher than it was before. But then you have to consider that." Andrew said gesturing to Olivia's stomach. "Do you think that would hurt her cost, or would it drive the price even higher?" With that Fitz leaned in real close, his hands resting on Andrew's wheelchair. "Listen to me you sick son-of-a-bitch. If I ever hear you talk that way towards my wife again, I will not think twice about finishing the job that Huck started." He said his anger becoming more apparent. "Fitz, stop!" Olivia said. "If I even think that you are threatening my wife or my child in any way, I will not hesitate to put you down like the animal you are. You want to know a secret Andrew? I've killed before. I'm not talking about in the Navy. I'm talking about recently. I've killed since taking office. I had considered this person a friend and I killed this person. I considered you a friend Andrew… I did. That's why I chose you to be my running mate, my VP. I trusted you. Can you believe that? Not only did you screw my ex-wife while we were still married, but you planned on having the love of my life killed… You know those big scary men outside? All I have to do is tell them that I am feeling threatened and they will take care of you for me. I don't even have to get my hands dirty this time. It wouldn't be as satisfying however."

"FITZ, THAT IS ENOUGH! STOP IT." She said pulling him back from Andrew's wheelchair. When he finally looked at her, the look on his face was wild. For a minute she almost didn't recognize him. "Karen will be arriving soon." She said as she started massaging the back of his hand. "You're right." He told her. "We'll finish this tomorrow." He said looking back at Andrew. Andrew smiled his pathetic little half-smile and waved as Fitz and Olivia walked out the door. "Mike, make sure that the Vice President gets back to where he needs to be." Fitz said after he closed the door behind Olivia. "Yes sir." Mike responded. "Fitz are you sure you want to do that?" She asked him. "Olivia we can't leave him here overnight. He was only out on a day pass from the hospital. If we left him here, people would start asking questions." He told her. "I know that but Fitz…" Her voice broke off. "What, Liv?" He asked. "Things got a little heated in there. Are you sure you want to send him back? I mean what's to stop him from going to the press and telling them everything that he knows just to spite you?" She asked.

"He won't say anything because he has no proof that I actually said them. I had him checked for any sort of listening devices before he came here. I had my agents take his phone away upon arrival. It would be his word against mine. I am the president and he is just the man who used to be my Vice President." Fitz told her. "Olivia, you are worrying too much about Andrew Nichols. Let's just go greet Karen and eat some dinner. Mellie is coming tomorrow so we can talk to Karen about her situation." Fitz said as he put his arm around Olivia as they headed to the waiting motorcade. Olivia nodded, but could not let go of the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew in her gut that something was very wrong.

* * *

 **I know that may have been a lot to process and I promise this next chapter will be a much easier read. There were parts in this chapter that were hard for me to write and at times I wondered if I went too far. Andrew is just a disgusting little weasel and I wanted to do justice to that. I also wanted to say before I continue that I am a huge fan of the whole Mellivia friendship. I know a lot of people see her as the villain and I did too at first, but I also thought that she redeemed herself quite a bit in the middle of season 5 and into the last two seasons. With that being said, will everything run smoothly in Vermont or will Liv and Fitz have too much on their hands with a teenager and a 4 year old? I'm curious to know what you guys would like to see moving forward.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know it's been a minute, but here it is. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Olivia could feel the warm water wash over her with each stroke she took. With each lap she took she could feel the stress and anxiety of the previous week melt away. The water had always been soothing to her. It allowed her to focus and recharge. It had been far too long since she had gone swimming and she could tell. The time it took for her to swim a lap had increased considerably since the last time she was in a pool. Her body was not used to this kind of exercise anymore. She pushed through and forced herself to swim a few more laps around the pool. Last week had been far too hectic and she was enjoying being able to slow down. A weekend in Vermont was the perfect chance to slow down enough for everyone to clear their minds.

* * *

 _"Karen Elizabeth, I told you last time that you only had one free pass. Would you like to tell me exactly what you were thinking? The last time I checked you are not 21 yet and marijuana is not only grounds for expulsion but it is also illegal. Do you think the Ivy Leagues will still be interested in you if you get expelled?" Mellie asked. "I think I'm swag for whichever school I go to. I'm the daughter of the president and a US senator. I make them look good just by being there." Karen said smugly. "Oh my g…" Fitz began, but then stopped himself when he realized he had no idea what to even say to her. "That's why she's here isn't it?" Karen asked, gesturing to Olivia. "She used to do this for a living she can make this go away." Karen said. "This isn't going to go away Karen. It's out there in the press, the only thing we can do now is wait for this to play out." Olivia told her. "Then why are you here? You're not my mom, you're not my family! You're just the person who ruined everything." Karen shot back. "Karen! That is enough. She might not be your mother but I am and you still have to respect her." Mellie scolded. "Whatever! You still haven't answered the question. WHY. ARE. YOU. HERE." Karen said with fervor. "She's here because I asked her to be. She's here because like it or not she IS a member of this family now and your behavior has caused problems for everyone in this room. Not just you." Fitz told her in the calmest voice he could manage._

 _"How? It's not like the press has gotten ahold of this information." Karen seethed. "You want to guess again?" Mellie asked indignantly. "You're trending on Twitter. I guess your roommate decided to get online and tweet about what a party girl the president's daughter is. Seriously Karen what is going on? Your dad has a year left in office and the choices you make, good or bad, reflect back on him." Mellie told her. "THAT BITCH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SHE WOULD POST THIS ONLINE!" Karen exclaimed when she checked her Twitter feed and found that #PartyGirlGrant was trending on Twitter. "Language!" Mellie scolded. "Here's what is going to happen. Your mother and Olivia and I have talked about this and this is what we came up with. Until we can get you into a school here you will be homeschooling. The only times you will be allowed to leave the White House for the foreseeable future is if one of us is accompanying you." Fitz told her. "Either myself, your mother or Olivia will be chaperoning you until you can prove to us that you can behave responsibly." Fitz continued._

 _"You're kidding me! This is insane!" Karen yelled. "It's called being grounded. We will also be taking away your phone privileges until you have proven to us that you are responsible enough to have it back." Fitz told her. "You can't do that!" Karen shouted. "And yet, I just did. Actions have consequences. The things you do don't only affect you. Your mother is a junior senator and I'm the president. How can the people expect us to lead them when it looks like we can't even handle our own daughter?" Fitz asked her. "Of course, I should have known you would find a way to make it all about you." Karen shot. "Karen, that's not what he's trying to do…" Olivia started before getting cut off. "Who asked you?" Karen screamed at Olivia before storming out of the room._

* * *

After finishing her laps in the pool, Olivia dried off and made her way to the master bedroom. "Hi." She said when she opened the door and saw Fitz in bed reading. "Hi. You coming to bed?" He asked, putting his file down. "Yeah, in a minute. Just let me rinse this chlorine off first." She told him as she made her way to the bathroom. "What are you reading?" She asked from the bathroom. "DoD report." He called. "What happened to taking a break she asked before stepping into the shower. "I can take a break when I'm dead." He called. Once the water was at the right temperature Olivia stepped inside and washed the chlorine smell off her body.

* * *

 _"Olivia I just wanted to thank you again for doing this with me. You are certainly under no obligation to help me do this." Mellie told her on Sunday evening while she and Olivia were researching tutors in the DC area. "Mellie it's not a problem. While you and I have our differences, we can at least agree that the kids should always come first." Olivia explained as she scrolled through the internet. "Really Olivia I am just so sorry for the way Karen has treated you. I've tried talking to her. Telling her that she can't talk to you like that, but it's like talking to a brick wall." Mellie explained. "Karen will come around. I remember how hard it was being 17." Olivia admitted. "Still, that's no excuse for the way she talked to you yesterday." Mellie argued. "No, it's not. In her mind I'm a threat. So much has changed for her in such a short amount of time. In the span of two and a half years her brother died her parents got divorced and her father got remarried. Now she probably feels like she is being replaced by a new baby. I would feel threatened too." Olivia explained. "You are definitely more understanding than I would be. I will talk to her some more. I know one thing though. Teddy just adores you. After every visit he talks about Daddy and Olibia non-stop." Mellie admitted. "He's super excited to go to Vermont with you next weekend. Fitz has had that house for years it's about time he decorated the kids' rooms." Mellie finished._

 _Olivia looked at her with a confused look on her face. "How…" Olivia began. Mellie laughed. "I was married to the man for over 20 years. Did you think I wouldn't notice when he suddenly bought a big plot of land in Vermont of all places? Then he hired a construction crew to build what I can only assume is a tiny palace based on the amount of money he pulled from savings." Mellie said. Olivia looked at Mellie in shock unsure of what to say. "I have no idea what to say to that." Olivia confessed. "Olivia I have to say something." Mellie started. Olivia nodded, unsure if she wanted to hear what Mellie had to say, but nodded her head anyway. "I wasn't fair to you. I hated you for years. I thought that you were stealing my husband away from me. After all the work I did building him up after Big Jerry destroyed him. After the decades of being that man's wet nurse and his concubine and whatever else he needed at the time. Here you come and in one fell swoop you took away everything that I worked so hard on." Mellie told her. Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say. Mellie held up her hand. "At least that's what I thought. Then one day I realized. You didn't take my husband from me. You allowed me to find myself again. Before Fitz became Governor of California I had a career. I loved my career. I was partner at a prestigious law firm in Santa Barbara and I loved it. But I gave it up. I gave up a career that I loved to help Fitz become the man that he is today. I never wanted kids but I had them. For Fitz. Because you can't be a republican who calls himself a family man if he has no family. Now don't get me wrong, I love my kids more than I can ever say but if it had been my choice. I wouldn't have any." Mellie stopped briefly after mentioning her children. Olivia could see the pain behind Mellie's eyes, it was the same look that Fitz got when he thought about his oldest son. "If you hadn't had kids, you never would have had to bury your son." Olivia continued. Saying what Mellie couldn't. She nodded and quickly batted the tears away that were forming behind her eyes. "I digress. My point is that in over 20 years of catering to his every need I ceased to exist. I lost myself. You allowed me to find myself again. You breathed me back to life Olivia and for that I thank you. For that, I want to tell you that I am truly sorry for the way that I have treated you over the years." Mellie finished._

 _Olivia was floored by Mellie's confession. She sat there for a minute unsure of how to respond. "If I was your redemption how come you were so mean all these years?" It sounded stupid but it was the only thing Olivia could think to say. Mellie laughed again. "You were my husband's mistress. Was I supposed to be nice to you?" Mellie asked. Olivia chuckled a little. "I suppose not." She said somberly, wondering how she would feel if another woman suddenly came in between her and Fitz. "I have a confession to make too." Olivia said meekly. "I was glad you were around. From the very beginning I knew how much he loved me and it scared me. I knew that he would do anything for me. There's more than one occasion where he talked about giving up the presidency for me, getting a divorce for me and it legitimately terrified me." Olivia confessed. "Yet here you are married to him." Mellie bantered. Olivia laughed solemnly. "I felt trapped here. The first month or so. I felt trapped. Like everything that I had been before was suddenly stripped away I honestly didn't think I could do it." Olivia confessed. "I know the feeling. I lived that way for two decades. Do you feel that way now?" Mellie asked. "No. Fitz and I worked it out. We talked and slowly we worked our way back to where we had been before. If you felt that way for 20 years how come you stayed?" Olivia asked her. "Honestly, I was afraid. I lost myself in him. I was afraid that I couldn't make it without him so I stayed." Mellie told her. Mellie glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. We can pick this up later in the week. Thanks for all your help. I will talk to Karen again. She needs to know that you are not the enemy." Mellie said. "Just call me when you want to resume the search… Mellie?" Olivia called out. "Thanks." Olivia said. Mellie nodded before walking out the door._

* * *

Olivia finished up her shower and made her way back to bed where Fitz had resumed his nightly reading material. "It must be a real page-turner huh?" She asked crawling into bed beside him. "You're telling me. How was your swim?" He asked. "It was good. It's been a while since I've gotten to swim. Why did Richard Nixon have to cover up FDR's indoor swimming pool?" Olivia asked sarcastically. "You know we can remodel. We can find another place to put the press." Fitz suggested. "It's a sweet offer but there wouldn't be much of a point anyway. The weather will start to warm up soon and I can swim outside. Besides, I'm not sure how the press would feel about you kicking them out of their office." Olivia smiled. "So you had a nice swim?" He asked. "I did. I can certainly tell that my timing has slowed. Almost a minute slower than the last time I went swimming at my apartment." She told him. "You're 19 weeks pregnant. It makes sense that you're not as fast as you used to be. Your body has been busy worrying about other things, like taking care of my baby girl." Fitz told her as he placed a hand over her stomach. "I feel like she is getting bigger every day." Olivia confessed.

Fitz put his report down and looked at her. "You have to believe me when I say you are the only one noticing this. You are still just barely showing to the rest of the world. It just feels that way because it's your body." He told her. "I know but if it feels this way now, what will it feel like 10 weeks from now or 20?" Olivia asked him. "Like every other pregnant woman, you'll feel huge. But you will be beautiful." He told her. She smiled. "You're kind of perfect do you know that? But it's kind of annoying too." She laughed. "I never thought I would have to apologize for being perfect." He joked, laughing. "Shut up." She said swatting him playfully before turning over and going to sleep. "Will it bother you if I keep this lamp on?" Fitz asked. "No, go ahead and finish reading your report. I'll be fine." She told him. "Okay, I love you. Get some sleep, I'm sure my baby girl is tired." Fitz said as he leaned over to kiss her temple. "I love you too. Goodnight." She said as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 _After Mellie left Olivia made her way back to the Residence where she found that Fitz had actually gone to sleep before her for a change. Her head was still reeling from the conversation that she and Mellie had earlier. She wondered what this would mean going forward. Then her mind wandered to Andrew Nichols. He would be meeting with reporters in the morning. Selling his story about West Angola to the highest bidder. Her father had mentioned it during supper earlier that evening but Olivia genuinely felt as if she had no cards left to play where Andrew was concerned. Her only hope was to reach out to him in the morning as a last-ditch effort to get him to stay silent. "It's going to be okay sweet girl. I'm always going to find a way to take care of you." Olivia said placing a hand on her stomach which she swore was slightly more prominent than it was yesterday. She put her pajamas on and went to bed. Fitz instinctively put his arm around Olivia's waist after she laid down. As if his subconscious mind knew that she was right beside him. "I love you." She whispered to the man sleeping next to her. "Livvie…" He whispered in a sleepy voice._

 _The phone on her bedside table rang. She batted around her bedside table blindly. Not wanting to open her eyes. "Hello?" She asked groggily. "Wait, what? Abby slow down." Olivia urged. Upon listening to Abby on the other end of the line she walked over to the sitting area and turned on the television. She sat there in silence unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "Yeah Abby, I'm still here." She said after zoning out for a minute. "It's the middle of the night Abby, I'm not waking him up so that you can get a statement. If you want a statement wait until the morning." Olivia told her turning her attention back to the screen. She soon felt a hand on her shoulders causing her to jump slightly. "Let me have the phone." Fitz said as he digested what he was seeing on tv. "Abby… when you get reporters calling you for a statement tell them that the White House is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Vice President Nichols and we are planning on doing whatever is necessary to help the country recover from this tragic loss." Fitz told Abby before handing the phone back to Olivia. "No Abby… This is the first I am hearing about it. We have been a bit preoccupied recently." Olivia told Abby. "Alright. See you later. Goodnight." Olivia said before hanging up the phone._

 _According to the television Andrew Nichols had died from what looked like another stroke. A sense of relief washed over Olivia when she thought about how she would never have to deal with that man again. The man that kidnapped her and took away not only her freedom but also her sense of security would never be bothering any of them again. She sat on the footstool motionless. "Liv?" Fitz nudged. No answer. "Livvie?" He asked again. She sat there in stunned silence still in disbelief about the news being reported on the television. She knew in her gut the person behind this. She knew and the thought made her ill. "Liv, talk to me." He said, starting to get concerned. "He's dead." She whispered quietly. "He's dead Olivia. He won't be bothering us ever again." Fitz reiterated. "Come back to bed. We can deal with this in the morning." Fitz told her._

* * *

The next morning Olivia woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon and coffee. Once she got dressed and put on her house coat, she walked downstairs to see Fitz and Karen and Teddy all in the kitchen together. "Good morning Olibia! Daddy made pancakes and bacon!" Teddy said as he ran to greet her at the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning to you too. Breakfast smells delicious, I bet daddy did a really good job." Olivia said as she wrapped an arm around him. "Morning." She said to Karen who was sitting at the table reading. "Morning." She replied not even bothering to look up. "Good morning." Olivia said as she made her way over to Fitz. "Good morning. You looked so peaceful this morning I thought I would let you sleep." Fitz said as he kissed her lips. "You're sweet, thank you. How long have you been awake?" She asked. "A few hours now. Long enough for Teddy and I to build a fort in his room." Fitz told her. "You guys built a fort?" She asked, amused. "Yeah! You should come see it! It's really cool!" Teddy said excitedly. "After breakfast buddy. It's just about ready if you want to go ahead and sit down." Fitz told her. "Sounds great." Olivia said going to sit by Teddy who had pulled out a chair for her and motioned that he saved a spot just for her.

After breakfast Olivia helped Fitz do the dishes. "What time is the interior designer coming this morning?" Olivia asked as she dried a plate. "In about an hour and a half why?" He asked her. "I just wondered how much time we had is all." Olivia asked. Fitz looked over at her with a hopeful smile. "Down boy. I promised Teddy I would go look at his fort. I just wondered how much time we had to play." She said as she reached to put a plate up. "Here, let me do that. You shouldn't be reaching." He said grabbing the plate. "You're sweet, maybe we should switch jobs. You know, if you're not going to let me put any of the dishes away." She bantered. "Good idea. I'm just looking out for two of my favorite girls." He said as he kissed her cheek. She took over his spot in front of the sink as he took the rag from her hand. Do the kids know how they want their rooms?" Olivia asked. "Karen said that she just wants something simple in Dusty Rose or Lavender. Teddy on the other hand, wants his room to look like outer space." Fitz laughed. "Of course he does. That kid loves anything having to do with space." Olivia admitted. "Who knows, maybe he really will be an astronaut one day." Fitz said as he bent down to put away the skillet.

* * *

 _Olivia knocked on the familiar red door as her agents stood by and guarded the perimeter. Seconds later the door opened. "Olivia! It's always good to see you this is a surprise. Especially considering I just saw you last night for dinner." Her father greeted. "Please come in. Are you hungry? Can I get you something to drink?" Her father asked. "No thanks." She said stiffly. "As happy as I am to see you I'm afraid I don't know why you stopped by for a visit. Especially today, I imagine the news of Andrew Nichols' death has the White House going nuts." Her father said as he took her jacket and hung it on the coat rack in the foyer. Just hearing his name was enough to send shivers down her spine. "I think you and I both know why I am here." Olivia told him flatly. "I don't follow." He said continuing to play dumb. "Andrew Nichols." She said. "Such a tragic passing. I for one will not be crying over his grave, but his loss is still a loss for this country." Her father said leading her into the sitting room. "Dad. We both know that you had him killed. Whether you did it yourself or you had someone else do it his blood is on your hands." Olivia accused. Her father chuckled. "Why is it we can't go one meeting without you accusing me of killing someone?" Her father asked. "Besides, didn't you hear the news he died of a stroke. Seems a little unfair that he die of natural causes given everything he put you through." Her father surmised._

 _"Did he though?" Olivia asked. "Pardon?" Her father asked. "Die of natural causes." She pushed. Her father grew serious and his demeanor changed in an instant. "If indeed something sinister happened to Andrew Nichols it's because it needed to be done." Her father said sternly. "If you are right and I had him killed maybe it is because your clock was about to run out and he was about to ruin your cushy little pampered life. If it was me or one of my associates then consider it a favor and don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Her father warned. "You had someone watching Andrew Nichols. That's what you told me when he first woke up. That's why you resurfaced after you broke out of prison." Olivia said, putting the pieces together. "Andrew Nichols already had a reporter in mind. Lillian Forrester is her name. Olivia, this woman is a shark. Just a whiff of blood in the water and she will come running. Even if you and your husband had agreed to Andrew's terms he would have spilled his guts for her anyway. I'm just doing my granddaughter a favor. If that story ever reached the light of day her father would be going to prison for the rest of his life." He told her. "Am I supposed to say thank you?" She asked. "Am I seriously supposed to thank you for killing a man?" She seethed. "You can do whatever you want. Just know that I did you a solid." Her father said._

" _I won't keep you much longer, I just need to ask you about one more thing." She began. He chuckled. "Ah… yes. Your secretary. Diana Ruiz." He said smiling. "What do you know about her?" Olivia asked him. "My guy watching Andrew Nichols saw her visiting with him on several occasions. She received two payments from him. Each payment corresponding to the dates that you received the note and the tape. I know that she got greedy and started demanding more money from him. I can only assume that she is dead, but I have no idea where her body is though if that's what you were going to ask." Her father told her. "That's all I wanted to know. Thanks for your time." Olivia told him. She got up and walked towards the front door. He got up to show her out. "It would be wise to find out what this reporter knows before it's too late." He warned. "I've got it handled." She told him as she let him help her with her coat. "I hope you are right Olivia. I don't want to see this end badly for you." He told her before she opened the door. Walking back to her car she couldn't shake the last thing her father had said to her._

* * *

After lunch Olivia was relaxing with a book in the living room when she felt a presence hovering over her. "Something on your mind?" Fitz asked her. "Why do you ask?" She questioned him. "You've been on that same page for 5 minutes." Fitz responded. "I just can't get my mind off of my dad. Besides, there's only so much of "What to Expect" one person can take." Olivia told him. "You're thinking about that reporter again aren't you?" Fitz asked. "Can you blame me? This woman could upend our lives. I've done my research on her and everything my dad said about her is true." Olivia told him. "Don't get ahead of yourself, I have a team trying to figure out what, if anything she knows. There's still a chance that she doesn't know anything." Fitz told her. "I wish I had the same blind optimism that you have. Don't you think that she is going to find it the least bit suspicious that Andrew Nichols set up a meeting with her and then died only hours later?" Olivia asked. "You're forgetting that we are not the ones who killed him. Let her think what she wants. I'm not going to let her ruin my weekend off based on nothing more than a gut feeling."  
Olivia put her book down and motioned for Fitz to sit beside her. "Livvie, you are worrying too much, remember what the doctor said." He reminded her. "I remember, but Fitz I don't think you are worrying enough about this. As someone whose entire presidency has been shrouded in suspicion, we need to stay on top of the Lillian Forrester situation." She insisted. "We don't even know for sure that there is a situation to worry about so until then the only thing we can do is relax and enjoy the rest of the day because tomorrow we are leaving and it will be back to the real world for everybody." Fitz reminded her.

"Daddy?" Teddy asked running down the stairs. "Will you play Hide-and-Seek with me? Karen doesn't want to play. All she wants to do is stay in her room and read." Teddy said sounding disappointed. "Do I want to go play Hide-and-Seek with you? How about we do something more fun?" Fitz asked. "What is it?" Teddy asked with anticipation. "I'm fixing to go swim in the pool, do you want to join me?" Fitz asked her. "Ooohhh…Yeah! That sounds like fun. Do you want to go swimming with us Lib?" He asked. "You know, you are so sweet to ask, but I think I will let you and your dad have some boy time. What do you think?" Oliva asked him. "I think that sounds like fun. Are you ready to go have some boy time daddy?" Teddy asked. "Sure let's go get our swim trunks on okay?" Fitz said as he stood up and took the little boy's hand.

A few minutes after Fitz and Teddy left to go swimming Karen came downstairs. "Hi Karen. What are you up to?" Olivia asked. "Nothing. Just came downstairs for a glass of water." She said. "I'm fixing to go for a walk around the grounds do you want to go with me?" Olivia asked her. "Sure…" Karen said sounding unenthused. "What are you reading?" Karen asked. "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Olivia answered. "That sounds exciting." Karen said rolling her eyes. "It's horrifying." Olivia said as she went into the kitchen to get a drink. "So, I was hoping we could talk." Olivia began. "Okay." Karen said as she took a sip of water. "I realize that your life has changed an awful lot over these past few years and maybe you feel like your head is spinning." Olivia told her. "A little bit yeah." Karen said. "I just wanted you to know that even though a lot has changed and a lot is changing there is one thing that will never change. Your dad and your mom love you very much. I also wanted you to know that if you're worried about this baby replacing you that is never going to happen." Olivia told her. "Okay." Was all Karen said. "I know. I feel like I'm drowning and no matter how hard I try to stay afloat I can't. Everything is changing so fast and I can't keep up." Karen confessed

"Is that what the drugs and alcohol were for?" Olivia asked. Karen looked at her apprehensively. "I'm not your mom. Or your dad. Whatever you tell me stays between us." Olivia told her. "Yeah. I know that they're both illegal for me to have, and I know that a lot of colleges might not be interested in me anymore but honestly it was just a way for me to forget. It was a way for me to just check out for a little bit." Karen told her. "There are other, less dangerous ways for you to unwind." Olivia told her. "I know that. I guess a part of me wanted to get caught. I thought that if I got into enough trouble at school my parents would have to pay attention to me." She said. "This place is beautiful. Did dad really have this place built for you?" Karen asked. Olivia looked at her, shocked. "I only know because I overheard mom saying something about it once. "He had it built for all of us. That's why there are so many rooms. He wants his kids to know that they are always welcome here." Olivia told her. "As far as getting your parents attention, it's as easy as picking up a phone. I know your dad would love to hear from you more, even though he doesn't call as much as he wants to." Olivia told her.

Karen was silent for a while. "How long have you and my dad been involved?" Karen asked. Olivia paused unsure of just how much to tell the teenager. "It's been a while." Olivia started. "You can tell me the truth. I'm not a baby. I know that my parents never loved each." Karen told her. Olivia sighed. "Since the campaign trail." Olivia admitted. "The first one? Because by the second one you had already been accused of having an affair with him." Karen said with a look of disbelief on her face. "Karen. I have been in love with your father for a long time. I am ashamed to admit it considering he was married with children but I fell in love with him and no matter how many times I tried to walk away I just couldn't." Olivia confessed. "So that TV interview you gave… The one where you were gushing like a little girl… that wasn't just a bunch of bullshit?" Karen asked. "First of all, don't ever let your parents hear you use that language… And second it was just a bunch of bullshit but the two things from that interview that will always be true will be how sorry I am that I hurt your family and how much I love your father." Olivia told her. "So that thing about you wishing you had never met. How much of that was true?" Karen asked. Olivia sighed. Once again unsure how to answer. "The part where I said I was sorry about my actions hurting so many people." Olivia told her. Karen and Olivia walked the property for a few more minutes in silence. Both of them trying to process the ongoing conversation.

"I know that I'm not swag, by the way." Karen admitted. Olivia looked at her confused. "Last weekend, I said that any school would be lucky to have me because I would make them look good… I don't even know why I said it." Karen told her. Olivia met her eyes. "Karen you are an extremely intelligent young woman and wherever you end up going to college will be lucky to have you, but you need to understand that you can't walk through life thinking that you will get everything you want just because of who your parents are." Olivia told her. "I know. I think back to what I said and I cringe. And I'm sorry about what I said to you by the way." Karen confessed. "About what?" Olivia asked. "About you not being family… and about you being the person who ruined everything." Karen said. "I know a lot of what you said was out of anger but you need to know something." Olivia told Karen. "Okay…" Karen began apprehensively. "Your mom came to me a while back and discussed something with me. She said that she was concerned that you and this new baby would have the same relationship that she had with her sister." Olivia began. "Oh." Was all Karen said. "I agree with her on that. I know that I will never be your mother, and I don't want to be. You already have a mother who loves you very much. But this baby is still your sister, and however you and I may feel about each other I want you to know that she is going to be looking to you. So however you might be feeling about this I want you to know that you can talk to me, and hopefully we can figure it out. Because she is not going to understand why her sister hates her." Olivia told Karen.

"I don't hate her. Or you by the way. I was secretly hoping that Teddy would be a girl. I was a little bit worried at first about dad forgetting about me at first, but after talking to you I think that feeling has started to go away somewhat." Karen confessed. "Good. The last thing I want is for you to feel like a stranger in your own family. You belong here. Both with your mother and with us." Olivia said. "Thank you for saying that. It means a lot." Karen said as she and Olivia decided to turn back around and go back inside. "I bet it's beautiful here when all of the trees start to bloom." Karen said wistfully. "It shouldn't be too much longer." Olivia said, to fill in the silence. "Olivia. I want to thank you for what you did. You defended me to the press. After I was so terrible to you too." Karen said. "I meant what I said." Olivia told her. "Your father asked for this. He did, he campaigned to be the president and as such he sent out an open invitation to every reporter and journalist and blogger out there to criticize him to call him out whenever he steps out of bounds, but you didn't ask for any of this. You are just a teenage girl who made a mistake that a lot of other teenagers make. The only difference is who your father is. You don't deserve to have your private life raked over the coal. You are a child and as such you are off limits to the press and they needed to know that." Olivia told them. "Well thank you again. I just wanted to let you know that once again I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you." Karen told her. "I forgive you." Olivia told her as they walked back inside.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I just wanted to say thank you so much for sticking with me. I know I promised an update a long time ago, but I have been struggling with this chapter. I also wanted to say thank you to those of you who take the time to leave a review. It means a lot and I love you all deeply. However when I said trolls will NOT be tolerated, I meant it. I am doing this because I enjoy it, and if you don't like what I am doing... Move along. No one is making you read this. And honestly at the end of the day you are just making an ass of yourself. If you want your words to carry any weight with me, have the courage to use a real account and not an anonymous guest account. That being said, I realize that not everyone who has used a guest account in the past have posted disparaging comments and for that I thank you.**

 **Chapter 15**

"Andrew Nichols was a remarkable man whose time on this earth was tragically cut short. Not only was his time on this earth too short, but also his time in the White House." Fitz said as he stood up in front of the entire church filled with people who came to pay their last respects to Fitz's former Vice President. Olivia stared into the crowd and wondered how many people in this church building knew the _real_ man being laid to rest that day. Andrew Nichols was just another case of someone driven mad by the power of the Oval. Back in Fitz's gubernatorial days they had been the best of friends. Little did he know that Andrew and Mellie had become more than _just_ friends. Even though Mellie swore up and down that the relationship never became physical until many years later, when he came on as Fitz's running mate for his second term as president. Olivia of course had never liked him. She could sense it in her gut that he was not Fitz's guy. If she had been just a little bit more convincing none of this would have happened.

Fitz had tried to get Olivia to have the social secretary plan the funeral given Olivia's tumultuous history with Andrew. She wouldn't have it. She was absolutely hell-bent on planning his funeral. Not only because of the optics but for the closure. She had been certain that planning this man's funeral would bring her piece of mind. Something that she had been lacking for so long now. He stole her sense of security from her. Even now, knowing there were agents standing guard 24/7 she still didn't feel truly safe. Having Fitz around helped, but she was a long way off from recovering that sense of safety. Her nightmares were getting better at least. She was able to recover quicker after having one and they didn't seem as intense as they had been in the past. Planning the funeral did help her get past some issues but it seemed to raise up new issues she never saw coming. How was she supposed to get back to the person she was before the kidnapping? Was that even possible? Didn't she owe it to her daughter to find out? She wanted to be present with her daughter, and this seemed like the only obstacle in her way.

"…And so, it's with a heavy heart, that I invite you to say one last goodbye to this man. This true, American patriot. He may be gone from this world, but his service and sacrifice to this great nation will be remembered throughout history." Olivia was brought back to reality by the time Fitz had finished his speech and began to make his way back to the spot he and Olivia were seated. "That was a nice speech." She whispered to him as the funeral recession began. "I feel like I need to rinse my mouth out." He whispered back as he took her hand and escorted her out of the church.

"Mr. President that was a lovely speech you gave." David said after the grave-side was over. "Thank you, David." Fitz said shaking David's hand. "One problem down…" Abby said referring to Lillian Forrester. After Olivia and Fitz's trip to Vermont last weekend the first thing they did was tell the group about what Olivia's dad had told her about Lillian Forrester. "I've got OPA on it. I'm going to visit them after we leave here to see what they've come up with." Olivia told her in an effort to ease her anxiety. "I for one am glad that we never have to deal with that man again." Mellie said as she approached the small group that was gathering at the grave-side. "Seriously. Do you think that God likes fruit baskets?" Cyrus asked when he got the chance to break away from Michael. "Cyrus, a man is dead." Olivia reminded him. "It's not like anyone who actually knew him is shedding any tears. After what that man did to you he got off too easily." Cyrus said defending himself. "The man was a vegetable for the better part of a year," Olivia began as she wrapped her jacket around her tighter. "You call that getting off easy?" Olivia asked him. "I know first-hand what your little bulldog is capable of…" Elizabeth began as she approached the group. "Believe me, he got off easy." She said.

"Your dad is the one who brought this to your attention is it possible he knows more than he's letting on?" Elizabeth asked Olivia. "We're not using my father." Olivia said definitively. "My father comes with strings attached." Olivia explained. "Aren't those strings worth it if we shut this woman up once and for all?" Liz asked in a hushed voice. "No! We are not using my father. Huck and Quinn and Marcus are on this. I trust them." Olivia said more forcefully. "You don't trust your own father?" Liz asked her confused. "No, and you shouldn't either." Olivia told her, hoping to put the issue to bed once and for all. At that moment a tall woman with long brown hair walked up to them. "Mr. President, can I just say what an excellent eulogy you gave?" She said with a smile. Fitz nodded his appreciation. "And you, Madam First Lady I knew you were capable of fixing problems but I did not know you could throw together such a moving ceremony for a man you despised." She said, her smile turning sour. Everyone in the group looked at the woman nervously. "You want to know what I find interesting?" She asked, not waiting to hear their answer. "I find it interesting that just a few short hours after the Vice President calls me to tell me that he wants to meet with me the next morning to discuss a story that makes Water Gate look like child's play, he winds up dead." She said. Her eyes narrowing on Olivia and Fitz. "Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done." She said before walking off.

"You were saying?" Abby asked. "We DO NOT go to my father with this!" Olivia reiterated. "I'm headed to OPA right now. We will figure this out without having to go to my father." Olivia said trying to calm the group down. "We're way past that Liv. Red, when we get back to the White House I want you to find every single piece of dirt you can on this woman and then set up a meeting for the two of us ASAP. It's time we take this bitch down." Cyrus barked. "We still don't know what, if anything, she knows. Hold off on roasting her head on a spike until I get back from OPA at least." Olivia offered. "Olivia there is a shark in the water and she smells blood." Mellie hissed. "If she keeps digging she will take us all down." Mellie reminded her. "Right now, she is just trying to rattle our cages." Olivia reminded Mellie. "By inviting her to the White House to threaten her, which is what I assume Cyrus plans on doing, we are only proving to her that we have something to hide." Olivia said. "Cy, do your own digging if it makes you feel any better, but hold off on the meeting until AFTER I get back from OPA. We need to be smart about this." Olivia finished before walking with Fitz back to the limo.

* * *

Once again Olivia found herself in the familiar elevator headed up to the office she had inhabited only months ago. Before stepping off the elevator her secret service guards cleared the area for her, just to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. "Liv, you made it." Quinn said in surprise. "How was the funeral?" She asked. "Andrew Nichols is dead, and from this point on I can stop pretending to be saddened by his passing." Olivia said as she walked into the conference room. She placed her purse down in a chair and waited for the others to join them. "What about you? How are things running here?" Olivia asked her. "I'm great. The team is great. Work has been coming in more steadily." Quinn informed here. "Good." Olivia said warmly. "How's Charlie? Are you two still together?" Olivia asked. "If you mean to ask if they are still going at each other like teenagers, the answer is yes." Marcus said walking in carrying an overstuffed file in his hands. "It's disgusting." Huck said as he walked in behind Marcus. "Okay, that's enough of that." Quinn said dismissing Huck and Marcus.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Quinn asked as Marcus began setting up. "Right." He said shortly. "Lillian Forrester. 35. Works at the Post where she has been for the past 10 years." Marcus began. "Where was she before that?" Olivia asked. "Yale. Working on her masters." Quinn informed her. "She was the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper as an undergrad. After she got her masters she went to work for the Washington Post as an intern before getting hired on as a full-time journalist after her internship was up." Marcus said, taking the reigns back from Quinn. "Last year, she wrote a scathing expose' on the Catholic Church bringing to light one of the biggest scandals to EVER rock the Vatican." Quinn said in an exhilarated voice. "That explains why Nichols went to her with this." Olivia surmised. "It garnered her a lot of respect amongst the journalism community, but on the flip side it also made her a lot of powerful enemies within the church." Marcus told her. "I can imagine." Olivia said before turning to Huck. "Huck what were you able to find out?" Olivia asked him. "Since publishing that expose' she has taken to hiring a body guard to keep her safe." Huck informed Olivia. "How much is all of that costing her? It's not like journalists are made of money." Olivia wondered. "A little over 5 grand a month." Huck informed her. "How is she affording that? That has to be what? Half of her income? At least?" Olivia asked him.

"Inheritance. Her mom and dad died a few years ago in a car accident. Being their only child, she was the sole beneficiary in her parents' will." Huck informed her. "It's enough to pay for her security?" Olivia asked him. "Not for much longer. From what I could tell the account has been almost completely drained." Huck said. "What were you able to find out from her computer?" Olivia asked him. "Nothing on her work computer. The last major project she worked on was that expose' on the Catholic Church." He informed her. "She must be desperate for a new story then." Olivia began. "I would be if I were her." Quinn jumped in. "It's obvious Andrew Nichols did his research on her. He knew that she would be desperate enough to listen to his story because she is in need of another high-profile article." Marcus finished. "She might be desperate for a story but she's not stupid. She would have done her own research. She would have dug deeper. She wouldn't have just taken the word of a mentally incapacitated man. She is an award-winning journalist not some two-bit conspiracy theorist who thinks there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll." Olivia pressed.

"What about her personal computer?" Olivia asked. "She keeps everything on her computer well-guarded." Huck said quickly. "I finished decrypting it last night." He finished, fidgeting a little. "And you found?" Olivia asked him. "Nothing." He told her. "It's possible that she is keeping a thumb drive." Huck told her. "Find it." Olivia pressed. "We need absolute proof to move forward with this." Olivia explained. "I'm on it." Huck told her. "Thank you all for doing this. I know that you have other clients to focus on." Olivia said as she stood up to leave. "It's still your name on that door. You will always take priority." Quinn reminded her. "I appreciate that Quinn, really. Get back to me as soon as you find something?" She asked looking back to Huck. Huck said nothing, just silently nodded as he tended to do. "Marcus, it's good to see you again." She said turning to the newest member of the OPA team. "My pleasure." He said with a nod.

Olivia made her way to the elevator but stopped when she came across her office. In reality it hadn't been that long ago since she occupied that office. Since she sat in that chair and fixed her client's problems. It had only been a couple of months, but already it felt like another lifetime ago. "It's weird for me too." Quinn spoke up breaking the silence and causing Olivia to jump. "Not seeing you in that office anymore." Quinn confessed. "It's weird for me too. I miss this." Olivia said, confiding in her friend. "Being First Lady isn't all you thought it would be?" Quinn asked her. Olivia let out a silent chuckle. "Fitz is the love of my life. Being married to him is everything I've ever wanted but never thought I could have." Olivia said before falling silent. "But…" Quinn pressed. "Let's just say that I'm much more comfortable working behind the scenes and fixing other people's problems than I am planning State Dinners and Easter Egg Rolls." Olivia said, referring to the two major projects that would be occupying her time now the funeral was out of the way.

"Having to entertain all those children all day. It sounds like hell." Quinn said referring to the hoards of children that would be attending the Easter Egg Roll. Olivia laughed. A little at first but soon find that she could not stop. "It makes me glad I'm only having one." Olivia confessed. Quinn laughed a little. "I used to want kids. Back when I was Lindsay. Three little girls, with Jesse." Quinn admitted. Olivia looked at Quinn with a sympathetic look in her eyes. Quinn didn't talk much about her time as Lindsay. "What about now?" She asked. "Now, I'm not exactly 'mother' material. I've seen Charlie with little kids and he's good with them but I don't think we are the type of people that should bring new life into this world." She confessed. "Have you met my parents?" Olivia asked her. Quinn laughed. "If there was anyone in this world who had no business procreating it was those two." Olivia told her. "All I'm saying is that a child could do a lot worse than you and Charlie because at the end of the day the two of you love each other." Olivia clarified. "I can't Charlie and I becoming parents any time soon." Quinn said definitively. "As long as you're happy that's all that matters. I should get going." Olivia said bidding a final goodbye to Quinn before making her way to the elevator.

* * *

Olivia spent the rest of the day going over the conversation with her OPA staff in her mind. "Liv, hello…" Karen said, calling her out of her daze. "What do you think?" Karen asked, gesturing to the new uniform she was trying on. "The skirt needs to be taken in another inch." Olivia said instructing the tailor who was making alterations on her school uniform. "What's on your mind?" Karen asked, noticing that Olivia wasn't her normal self that day. "Nothing that you need to be concerned with. I just went by OPA earlier today and I just…" Olivia trailed off. "Realized how much you miss it?" Karen asked, finishing Olivia's thought. "Yeah, something like that." Olivia answered, not wanting to worry the teenage girl with the specifics of her visit to OPA. "We were really lucky that Sidwell found an opening for you this late in the school year." Olivia said changing the subject. "Yeah." Karen replied with an eye roll. "I can't believe how lucky I am to be going to school again." She finished. "It's not all that bad." Olivia responded. "If nothing else, it gets out of the White House for a few hours every day." Olivia told her, trying to remain positive. "It'll give you a chance to be around people your own age, make new friends." Olivia reminded her. "I guess you're right." Karen admitted before growing quiet.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, noticing a change in Karen's demeanor. "It's nothing…" Karen said unconvincingly. "It's something…" Olivia prodded. "You wouldn't understand." Karen said quietly. "Because I don't know what it's like to be a teenage girl or because I don't know what it's like to be the new kid?" Olivia asked. "Because neither of those things are true." She told the young girl. "You wouldn't understand what it's like to be the president's daughter. Whenever I meet new people, I am constantly asking myself if they like me for me or if they only like me because of what… who… I am. Jerry and I had that in common, he was the person that I could always be myself with because he understood. Starting this new school without him kinda has me freaking out." Karen admitted. Olivia took a deep breath in. She hadn't expected Karen to open up to her that easily. "You're right." She admitted. "I don't know what that is like, and I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you losing your brother, but I think there is one person who can sort of understand where you are coming from." Olivia said, hoping to offer some solace to her step-daughter.

"If you're going to say Teddy, I'm leaving." She said with a hint of sarcasm. This caused Olivia to crack a smile. "Because as much as I love the kid he's not even 5 yet. He chose his best friend based on the fact that they both brought Buzz Lightyear pillows to school for nap time on the first day." Karen said rolling her eyes once more. "I wasn't going to say Teddy." Olivia clarified. "I was going to say your father." Olivia continued. Karen looked her, perplexed. "While your grandfather was never president, he was a senator for several years. A wealthy one at that." Olivia told her. "Your father's _entire_ life has been spent trying to distinguish the people who genuinely wanted him and who was only after him because of his money." Olivia finished. Karen nodded. Seeming to understand what Olivia was telling her. "He's too busy. He never has the time to talk to me. Even our vacations are spent with him reading reports and talking on the phone to Cyrus." Karen added. "He's never too busy for you. Just open up to him. He might surprise you." Olivia told her. "I'll try." Karen said just as the tailor finished making the alterations on Karen's skirt.

* * *

"She is a threat to this administration and she must be dealt with accordingly." Olivia heard Cyrus say from the other side of the door. She paused briefly before heading into the room. "You can go in Ma'am. He's just in there with Mr. Beane and Ms. Whelan." Charlotte told her. Olivia nodded in appreciation and entered the room. "She's desperate." Olivia said as she sat her purse down in the chair by the fireplace. Olivia walked over to the Resolute desk where Abby and Cyrus and Fitz were all discussing strategy. "Care to share with the class Olivia?" Cyrus asked. "She hasn't written anything of substance since her expose' on the Catholic Church last year." Olivia explained as Fitz pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead. "She's also broke if that helps you any." Olivia offered. "She received an inheritance after parents died and for the last year she has been using that to pay for a body guard to protect her. It turns out that expose' earned her a lot of powerful enemies." Olivia continued. "So you want us to what? Pay her off?" Fitz asked her. "No, that's not what I'm saying." Olivia clarified. "I'm saying that if we go through with this story we paint her as a money-grabbing opportunist." She explained. "Or we paint her as a nut-job conspiracy theorist." Abby offered. "Saying that the President of the United States went to war for a woman is some next-level conspiracy theorist crazy. This is 'the moon landing was staged', 'the CIA killed Kennedy', '9/11 was an inside job' level crazy." Abby finished.

"It's all moot." Fitz said speaking above everyone else. "The fact of the matter is we still don't know what, if anything she knows." Fitz said once all eyes were on him. "What did Huck find when he looked on her computer?" Fitz asked, looking at Olivia. "Nothing on her work computer and nothing on her home computer. It's possible that she's got a thumb-drive stashed away somewhere but at this point he hasn't come across it." Olivia told him. "So what?" Cyrus began. "We're just supposed to wait here for her to publish an article that could bring this ENTIRE administration down?" Cyrus asked, losing his temper. "Liv I know you said you didn't want to use your father, but he could at least…" Cyrus began. "NO." Olivia said cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. "We are not going to my father for this." Olivia began. "As I said before my father ALWAYS comes with strings attached. Last time it was Sunday dinner and being a part of his grandchild's life." Olivia said listing all of the ways her father had recently manipulated his way back into her life. "Next it's the reconstitution of B6-13 and his role as Command. Neither of those things are going to happen so let's just pretend for the sake of this conversation that my father doesn't exist." Olivia finished, letting everyone in the room know how she felt about her father's interference.

"Well okay then…" Fitz agreed. "Back to the drawing board guys. Let me know what else you come up with." Fitz said dismissing Abby and Cyrus. "Hi." He said cracking a smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hi." She replied as she stared into his deep blue eyes. "How are my daughters today?" Fitz asked her. "Well, your oldest daughter is apprehensive about starting a new school... If she comes to you about something, listen to her and let her know that you understand how she is feeling." She warned him. "Okay… Liv you know I have done this whole parenting thing for a while now." He kidded. "No, I know. It's just she's afraid to come to you because she doesn't want to be brushed aside. She doesn't need you to solve her problems. She just needs you to listen to her… to be present." Olivia explained. Fitz nodded in understanding. "And my youngest daughter?" Fitz asked. "Is hungry _all_ the time." Olivia told him causing him to laugh a little. "It's not funny. I can't stop eating." She told him. "She's growing. She needs food to do that." He said. The smile on his face not getting any smaller. "It's really annoying when you do that you know." She teased. "I'm excited. I don't know how many times I have to say it. I'm just excited that after all of these years of talking about kids and Vermont it's _finally_ happening." He said as he knelt down to get a better look at her bump. "You eat as much as you need to in order to grow big and strong." He whispered as he cupped Olivia's stomach with one hand while his other hand rested on her hip.

Olivia rolled her eyes and smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. She loved listening to the way he talked to their unborn child. He always used such a sweet, calming voice. She wasn't sure what kind of mother she would be, but she never had any doubt in her mind that Fitz would love their child unconditionally no matter what kind of mother she was. "She's a lucky girl." Olivia said aloud. "She is." He admitted. "She has you for a mother." He said. This caused her to smile. "We'll see about that, but I was talking about the fact that she has you for a father." Olivia told him, before falling silent. "Hey," he said as he looked up at her. "Everything is going to be fine. We will figure everything out." He told her. "You know, I know I've made a big deal about going to my father but lately I've been wondering if maybe we should." She told him. "Are you sure that's a road you want to go down?" He asked. "No. But what choice do we have?" She asked, starting to grow concerned. "Hey, we will figure this out." Fitz told her. "We are going to be fine. We don't need to resort to your father's help." He said in a soothing voice. "I hope you're right." She said, worry bubbling inside her.


	16. Chapter 16

**So, I did a thing... I know many of you will not like what I did but just know that I have my reasons and this will not be a continuing thing. Also, for those of you who were wondering, the dress I had in mind for the State Dinner was the dress Olivia wore in Happy Birthday Mr. President. I can picture in my mind how cute that dress would be with her little bump.  
**

 **Chapter 16**

"You look pretty!" Teddy said in awe as he stared up at Olivia who was checking her dress in her bedroom mirror. "That's very sweet of you. Thank you for saying that." Olivia said as she glanced down at the little boy. "Why don't I get to go to the party?" Teddy asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Because…" Fitz said coming into the bedroom from the dressing room. "This is an adult party and you and your sister would be bored out of your minds if you were there." He said as he scooped the little boy up and tossed him playfully on the bed. "You and Karen are going to have your own fun tonight." Fitz told him. Trying to cheer up the little boy. He looked unconvinced. "Chef is making you and Karen your favorite dinner and dessert, and afterwards you get to go bowling and watch a movie." Fitz said as he looked the little boy in the eyes. "All Karen does is text her boyfriend, can't I go with you and Olivia?" He asked. "Karen has a boyfriend?" Fitz asked. Concerned. "She's been at that school a week. How does she have a boyfriend already?" Fitz asked, concerned. "Young love." She teased him with a smile. "And good job saying your 'v's buddy, I'm proud of you." Olivia said looking at Teddy. "Thanks!" Teddy said smiling. "Nanny Jen taught me." Teddy admitted proudly.

"You are going to have fun tonight." Fitz reiterated as he stood Teddy up on the bed so that he could look his son in the eye. "You know what else would be fun tonight?" Fitz asked, trying to get Teddy excited about the prospect of being left alone with his sister for the evening. "What?" Teddy asked curiously. "You could make a tent in your bedroom." Fitz suggested. Immediately, Teddy's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "We can?!" He asked excitedly. "Can I sleep in there tonight?" Teddy asked looking back and forth between Olivia and Fitz. "Hmm… I don't know." Fitz said looking back at Olivia. "Please Daddy!" The little boy pleaded. "What do you think Liv?" He asked Olivia with a playful grin on his face. "I don't know. Do you think he's big enough?" Olivia asked matching Fitz's playful demeanor. "I am going to be a big brother, you know." He said confidently. "You're going to be the best big brother aren't you?" Olivia asked him. "Uhuh!" He said proudly. Fitz and Olivia shared one more smile. "Okay fine, but you can't stay up all night." Fitz told him, finally giving in. "Can I at least stay up until you get done with your party?" Teddy asked. "Not this time." Fitz told him. "But afterwards I'll come give you a goodnight kiss." He told the little boy. "Olivia too?" Teddy asked. Both Fitz and Teddy looked up at Olivia with questioning eyes. "Olivia too." She told him with a smile. "Now, go find your sister and tell her that I need to see her." Fitz told Teddy as he placed the little boy on the floor.

Teddy ran out of his room to go find his sister leaving Olivia and Fitz alone together. "He's right…" Fitz told her as he grabbed her by the small of her back. "You are exceptionally beautiful tonight." Fitz told her with a smile. Olivia smiled at the compliment and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. "You think so?" She asked him with a seductive smile. "Always, even when you're not wearing anything…Especially when you're not wearing anything." He said with an evil smile. "Ew!" Karen said in disgust causing Fitz and Olivia to jump a little. "Teddy said you wanted to see me." Karen said after they both looked at her. "Yes." Fitz said trying to shake off the mild embarrassment of having his daughter over hear his comment to Olivia. "What's this I hear about a boyfriend?" He asked, going into full dad-mode. "Fitz!" Olivia warned. Karen rolled her eyes. "He's not my boyfriend!" Karen argued defensively. "So who is he?" Fitz asked, unrelenting. "No one…" Karen began. "He's just a friend from drama class." Karen finished. "Ground rules for tonight." Fitz told her sternly. "You are in charge of Teddy for the evening." Fitz ordered. "That means you will make sure he eats his dinner and takes his bath." Fitz paused to make sure that Karen was listening. "Anything else?" She asked him as she anxiously glanced at her phone. "Yes." He said firmly, trying to keep his daughter's attention. "Just because you have your phone back doesn't mean that you have to be on it all night." Fitz paused once more. "Your 'friend from drama class' can wait until AFTER Teddy's bedtime, which is 8:30 by the way." Fitz told her searching for any kind of response. "I know when his bed time is dad. Don't worry, I can handle it." She told him looking him in the eyes. "I know you can." He said smiling. "Have fun with your brother tonight, I'll check on you after the dinner." Fitz told her as he kissed the top of her head. "Okay, have fun." Karen said as she walked out of their room. "You look great tonight Liv." She called before she exited.

"Should I be worried?" Fitz asked Olivia after Karen left the room. "She's a teenage girl, Fitz." Olivia offered as she straightened his bowtie. "If my dad knew half of the things I was up to when I was Karen's age, he would not have allowed me to continue going to boarding school." Olivia told him as she reminisced about her prep school days. "That's not making me feel any better." Fitz said with a worried look on his face. "If anything, it's making me think that this one" Fitz said as he reached out for his unborn daughter. "Should never be allowed to leave the house." He finished causing Olivia to crack a smile. "Fitz, Karen is fine." She began, "and this one…" she said referring to their baby "is not even born yet. If there is one child you don't have to worry about it's her." She reminded him. "Okay but did you see her?" Fitz asked. "She could barely look away from her phone for two seconds." He pointed out, clearly not willing to let the subject go. "Fitz, she's a teenager. Her entire life is on that phone." Olivia told him. She could see that he was still worried. "Fitz, she's making friends." She said trying to calm him down. "This is a good thing." She reminded him. "You're right." He said, finally relenting. He held his arm out for her to take as they made their way out of the Residence and into the elevator.

* * *

After cocktails and dinner Olivia and Fitz made their way to the ballroom to continue the festivities for the evening. Olivia danced a couple of dances with Fitz and with their guest of honor before excusing herself. Abby soon caught up with her, noticing that she was leaving the ballroom. "Hey, Liv." She called out causing Olivia to slow her pace. "I need to talk to you about something." Abby said, matching Olivia's strides. "Talk while I pee." Olivia said in a hurried voice. "What's up Abby?" Olivia asked after reaching the bathroom. "I think I might have a problem." Abby confessed. Olivia narrowed her eyes and searched Abby's face. "You're not…" Olivia began pointing to her stomach to indicate what she was trying to say. "Oh god no, Liv I'm on the pill." Abby said as she gasped in horror. "So was I." Olivia confessed. "That's terrifying, but not the problem." Abby said aloud. "Okay, then what's the problem?" Olivia asked as she locked the stall door. "I think he wants to propose." Abby told her in a hushed voice. "What makes you think this?" Olivia asked, prodding Abby for more information. "He's David, you know how twitchy he gets when he's trying to keep a secret?" Abby asked. "I always thought twitchy was just his default." Olivia called out. "He's an anxious man, anyway that's not the point." Abby said hurriedly. "What's the point?" Olivia asked as she flushed and unlocked the stall door. "The point is he lied to me." Abby explained as Olivia washed her hands. "He told me the texts were from his grandmother, but he was being all weird and twitchy about it." Abby said before pausing. "So…" Olivia pressed as Abby handed her a paper towel to dry her hands with. "So… when he took a shower this morning, I did some digging." Abby confessed.

"Abby you stole his phone?" Olivia asked. "What? It's not like people in relationships don't do that all the time." Abby shrugged. "Still, it's an invasion of his privacy." Olivia said as she grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her over to the loveseat in the corner of the women's restroom. "Do you want to know what I found or are you going to keep judging me?" Abby asked. "Sorry continue." Olivia told her. "I found reservations at not one, not two, but THREE restaurants!" Abby exclaimed. Olivia continued looking at her in confusion. "That doesn't mean that he's going to propose." Olivia said, trying to calm her down. "Why else would he make reservations at 3 of the fanciest restaurants in town if he's not planning something big?" Abby asked her, exasperated. "Okay so, let's talk this out." Olivia said taking a deep breath, trying to get her friend to do the same. "You love David." Olivia said. Abby nodded. "David loves you." Olivia continued. Again, Abby nodded. "Despite everything that has come between you in the past you still keep winding up together." Olivia added. "Would it be so bad if he _did_ want to propose? I know your scars run deep Abby, but David is not Chip. He would never intentionally hurt you, and he would NEVER lay a hand on you." Olivia finished, doing her best to talk her friend down. "In my head I know that he would never do those things, but it's in the back of my mind." Abby told Olivia. "Constantly! The little voice in the back of my mind never takes a break." Abby confessed. "Let me talk to him." Olivia said, trying to get her friend to relax. "I'll see what's going on." Olivia told her. "Oh my God Liv really?" Abby asked. "Consider it handled." She said as Abby helped her to her feet. "Wait!" Olivia called causing Abby to turn back. "Before we go back in there, how do I look?" Olivia asked, wanting to make sure that her dress looked okay. "Great Liv, you and your little sidekick in there look great." Abby reassured her before they headed back to the ballroom.

"There you are." Fitz greeted her when she made her way back to the dance floor. "Here I am. Sorry, bathroom break." She said as she kissed his cheek. "I'm actually looking for David have you seen him?" Olivia asked. "I saw him…" Fitz began before Olivia spotted him and wandered off. "What about the next dance?" He called as she walked away. "I'll be back, dance with Abby." She replied as she made her way over to David. "David." Olivia said with a faux sweet smile on her face. "Olivia." He replied. "Dance with me David." She told him, dropping her smile. "Oh…okay." He said as he tried to figure out where to put his hands. "This is weird, have we ever danced together before?" He asked cautiously. She thought about it and replied. "No, I don't think we have, but David how many people get to brag that they danced with the First Lady a State Dinner." Finally, she put his hand on her waist for him. They soon began to waltz around the dance floor together. "I know about the reservations David." Olivia stated in a low voice. "Okay, how?" He asked as they glided back and forth in a 1-2-3 motion. "It doesn't matter." She told him. "I know." She said, her eyes narrowing. "One thing you should know, is that Abby is my best friend." Olivia told him as they moved across the floor. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her." She added, her eyes narrowing. "And if you don't believe me, you should ask Chip." She said in a sweet voice, trying not to appear too threatening considering they were in a room full of people. "We've been back together for almost 2 months now, aren't you kind of late for the whole 'don't mess with my best friend' speech?" He asked her, not sure where she was headed. "Do you love her?" She asked him directly. "Do I… what?" David asked, stunned by the question. "You heard me." She stated shortly. "It's a yes or no answer David. Do you love Abby or not?" She pressed. David began looking visibly uncomfortable. "Yes… why is this any of your business?" He asked her. "Because I'm her best friend, and if you plan on proposing I need to make a few things clear to you." Olivia began. "Okay, let me stop you right there." David said as they continued dancing. "I'm not proposing to her." He confessed. "What?" Olivia asked, confused. "Do I love her?" He asked. "Yes." He answered. "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with her?" He asked. "Yes." He answered again. "Am I going to propose to her?" He asked. "No." He said flatly. This last answer threw Olivia off and she looked at him with a startled look on her face. "Wh…" Olivia asked. Confused. "What's with the reservations to three restaurants?" She asked him, almost offended that he didn't want to propose to her friend. "She's a picky eater." He explained. "She never knows from one day to the next what she wants to eat for dinner." He confided. "One day it's Thai, the next its Italian, and by tomorrow it could be French or Indian for all I know." He said, exasperated. "She is the hardest person to make reservations for." David admitted. "So all of this is just in Abby's head?" She asked as the music stopped. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "Good to know. Now maybe try telling her that." Olivia said to David as she walked away. "I will, right after I talk to my girlfriend about invading people's privacy." He called back to her. "He's all yours." Olivia said to Abby as they passed each other on the dance floor.

On her way back to Fitz an arm grabbed her out of nowhere. "Dance with me." A familiar voice said. Olivia looked at Jake and began dancing with him as she looked back at Fitz with apologetic eyes. "Your friend is in trouble." Jake said in a hushed voice. Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She just looked at him with horror in her eyes. "What are you…" She began. "Your father got to him." Jake told her. "Although, he didn't need much of a push from what I know about him." Jake said. Olivia said nothing she just continued looking at him in horror. They turned circles and she could again see Fitz's face. She could tell he was not happy about her latest dance partner but was trying to keep his temper in check. "How do you know this?" She asked as she continued to lock eyes with Fitz. "I know this man Olivia. You know him too." Jake said as he spun her around once more. "Why are you still with him?" Olivia asked out of nowhere. The question had been on her mind for some time. "What's it matter to you?" He asked her. "It matters because my father is poison. He's playing you Jake. He plays everybody." She told him. "He's the closest thing I've ever had to a father Liv." Jake confessed. "My first father, my real father tore me down." Jake began. "Your father, my father…" He corrected himself. "He built me back up. He made me strong." Olivia laughed, but pitied him at the same time. "He threw you in a hole and was willing to let you go down for the death of Fitz's son." Olivia scolded. "Stay away from him." She warned. "Why do you care what I do? You're married now… to him." He said nodding to Fitz. "You're having his baby." He added looking almost hurt. "So what business is it of yours who I spend my time with anymore?" He asked. "I…" She began. Unsure of why she even cared in the first place. "By the way…" He added. "You're welcome for the whole Andrew Nichols thing." He told her in a hushed voice. A shocked look spread across her face as the dancing stopped and he disappeared.

"You mind telling me what that was about?" Fitz asked Olivia when she found her way back to him. "I'll tell you about it when we get back to the Residence tonight." Olivia told him as the US Navy Band started playing another song. "Or you could tell me now, to keep my mind from going to places it shouldn't." He said with a thinly veiled tone of jealousy to his voice. "Abby thinks that David is going to propose so I danced with him to find out what was going on." Olivia told him, completely ignoring the Jake aspect of the evening. "Cute." He said sarcastically. "Why were you dancing with your ex-boyfriend?" He asked her. "Huck is in trouble." Olivia told him. Fitz looked at her skeptically. "Jake would know this how?" Fitz asked her. "I don't know." Olivia told him as they danced around the floor in unison, Olivia following Fitz's lead. "All I know is my dad has something to do with it." Olivia confessed. "How has your evening gone with the king?" Olivia asked, trying to avoid having a conversation about her father. "It could have gone better." He admitted as he pulled her closer to him. "Well, it's only day one of his visit." Olivia reminded him. She knew how much he wanted that Naval Base and wondered if the reason the king had visited this time around was to give him what he had been pushing for since the beginning of his presidency.

* * *

After the State Dinner was over and the kids checked on, Olivia made her way to OPA hoping that somebody was still there. She had hoped what Jake had told her wasn't true, but knowing her father it probably was. Jake was right. It didn't usually take much of a push to send Huck over the edge. Her mind was working overtime imagining what state Huck was in right now. There was a chance that he was holding it together, trying to play through the pain. There was also a chance that her father had left him a huddled mess on the floor. She stared out the window as the car made the familiar route to her office. Other cars passed by in a blur and lights, illuminating the city. Car horns and music from other people's cars could be heard from the backseat of the town car. She forgot how alive this city was, even at night. She could hear the faint street noise from the Truman when she was sitting outside at night but the only view she got was of the Washington Monument and the fence surrounding the White House. The car came to a slow stop and within moments Olivia's door opened to reveal their destination.

"Liv… I wasn't expecting to see you." Quinn said, confused. "I wasn't expecting to come this late… have you seen Huck?" Olivia asked. Quinn looked down the hall and nodded to Huck's office. Olivia barged into Huck's office to find him huddled in the corner mumbling incoherently and rocking back and forth. Olivia looked at Quinn who had followed her into his office. "The most I could get out of him was that he drank the whiskey." Marcus said, appearing out of nowhere. "Drank the whiskey?" Olivia asked confused. "I didn't know Huck was in recovery." Olivia stated as she stared at Marcus in bewilderment. "He is… but not from alcohol." Quinn confessed. The confused look on Olivia's face only got more distorted. "Whiskey is a person." Quinn admitted. "I followed him to an AA meeting once where he talked about drinking whiskey… it's a euphemism for killing people." Quinn told her. Marcus and Olivia looked at each other in shock. "Who?" Olivia asked. "I don't know, all I could get was that he drank the whiskey." Marcus said, reeling from the unexpected revelation. "Thanks guys." Olivia said, concerned. "I'll take it from here." She told them as they left.

"Can you give us a minute alone please?" She said to her guards who were standing too close for comfort. "Huck, hey it's me." Olivia said as she knelt down in front of him. Causing the mumbling and the rocking to pause momentarily. He looked awful. The bags under his eyes told her that had not been sleeping well and the sunken expression on her face told her he had not been eating well either. "She knew everything… I had to keep you safe." Huck said in a hushed voice as he pulled something out of his pocket. "Everything she knew was on here…" He managed to say. "Don't worry. There's nothing else… I made sure of that." Huck told her as he handed her a thumb drive. Olivia took the thumb drive from Huck's hand realizing what he had done. "Huck did my dad make you do this?" She asked in a soothing, concerned voice. "I lied…" was all he said at first. "About what?" Olivia asked him. "About the thumb drive. Tom gave it to me the night before you came to visit OPA." He confessed. "I had to Liv… I had to do it." He told her as he started rocking back and forth again. "I had to protect you. It was the only way." He told her. "What does Tom have to do with any of this?" Olivia asked him. "He was working as one of Lillian Forrester's body guards." Huck told her. She furrowed her brows even further. "Huck?" Olivia asked gently. "Did my dad put you up to this?" Olivia asked, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. "Yes." He whispered. A wide look of terror in his eyes.

"Huck look at me." She said after he looked away again. Nothing. "Huck!" She said raising her voice. He complied. "What did you do?" Olivia asked. "They won't find her for a couple of days, but they will think it was an accident. No one will know what she knew. No one will know it was me. I'm a professional." He said as the rocking continued. "He taught me how to make it look like an accident… Don't worry Liv… No one will ever know what she knew about your kidnapping and how the president went to war for you." He told her. "Huck. Can I take you home?" She asked him. He shook his head. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?" She asked him, concerned for his well-being. "I'll be fine." He told her. "I'll be fine as long as you say you're not mad at me… please Liv don't be mad at me, I did this to protect you." He said in an almost hysterical mumble. "I'm not mad at you Huck." She told him sincerely. She instinctively reached out for his hand to comfort him. He flinched and pulled his hand away. "Huck." She said calmly. "You need to go home and get some sleep. Everything will be better if you just go home and sleep." She lied. She had no idea if any of that was true but she knew enough to know that sleep deprivation was only making things worse for him. He nodded. "Is there someone I can call for you?" She asked as she stood up. He shook his head. "I'm going to call you a cab. Here's some cash." Olivia said as she pulled the wallet out from her purse. She walked out to the main hallway and gave Quinn orders to make sure that he made it into the cab safely.

* * *

Olivia was seething with anger. She was now in full gladiator mode. Someone had messed with a member of her team, and she was furious. She made her way up the familiar steps of the familiar house with the familiar red door she had known her whole life and unleashed hell on doorbell. The door opened a few minutes later to reveal her father who seemed annoyed. "What the hell is your problem?" She asked him furiously. "Besides the fact that my daughter woke me up in the middle of the night to yell at me?" He asked her, trying to remain calm. "Does it bring you joy to walk around ruining people's lives?" She asked. "This is the second time you've forced Huck to kill someone!" She said. By now she was yelling. "It didn't take much of a push." Her father told her. "You think you're being cute?" She asked him, her blood boiling over. "You think this is funny?" She asked as she began pacing around in circles. "How many times are you going to destroy his life?" She asked. Her father said nothing, just stood there and watched her. "It's not bad enough you took his family away from him but every time he is doing better you have to keep bringing him down?" She asked almost crying. "The man lost everything, because of you!" She yelled.

Jake appeared at the top of the stairs. Olivia looked at him but said nothing. "I told you I would handle the Lillian Forrester problem ON MY OWN!" She said turning her attention back to her father. "Then I find out from Huck that you have your guy keeping tabs on her, posing as her bodyguard." She said as if she couldn't believe her dad would do something like that. "Let's get a few things straight!" Her father said, matching the tone of her voice. "One, I did not MAKE your boy do anything. All I did was approach him and merely suggest the things that he could do to her to keep her quiet." He told her, the look on Olivia's face sank. "Two, you do not come into my house in the middle of the night to yell at me." He continued. "And three, I wouldn't have to keep doing these things if someone in your camp would do what needs to be done!" He yelled. Olivia looked at Rowan with disgust on her face. "We are not murderers Dad." She spat. "We do not kill people just because we feel like it!" She said raising her voice once more. Rowan looked at Jake. "Do you see how she talks down to us?" He asked in a patronizing tone. "Like her husband didn't take down an ENTIRE plane full of people with one command." He reminded her. "Like your husband didn't kill Verna Thornton JUST so he could stay president." He reminded her. "How did you…" she began. "Think carefully about who I am before you finish that and realize, that I. KNOW. EVERYTHING. that goes on in this town." He snarled. "I'm done!" She said, exasperated. "I can't do this anymore." She clarified. "I don't want you near my home, I don't want you near my friends, I don't want you near my child, and I don't want you near me." She said, her voice filled with emotion. "You too." She said turning her attention to Jake. "There will come a time when you realize that this man breaks everything he touches, and when you realize that it'll be too late." She warned him before she walked out of her childhood house.

* * *

The drive back to the White House had been a blur. As if nothing was real. She could hear her agents talking around her but she could not make out what was being said. She heard her code-name being thrown around but she was so dazed she had no idea what was being said. The events of the past hour and a half had felt unreal. Before she knew it they were back at the White House and Fitz was waiting underneath the awning of the South Portico to meet her. Concern was etched all over his face and as soon as the guard had opened her door he was right at her side helping her out of the car. "He did it." She told him, in stunned disbelief. "Jake was right." She told him. "Ssshhh." He said smoothing out her hair as he walked her inside. "Just take a deep breath." He spoke in a calm soothing voice. She complied, wanting nothing more than to be in bed. "He's never going to stop Fitz." She told him, defeated. "I told him I was done with him… Jake too." She clarified. Fitz looked at her in confusion. "When did you see Jake?" He asked her. "He was with my father. Apparently, he's living there now or something." She told him as they stepped onto the elevator. "Why?" Fitz asked as he pressed the button that would take them to their bedroom.

"Don't ask me… Jake is under some allusion that Rowan actually gives a damn about him." Olivia told him as she grabbed her stomach. "Livvie?" He asked, concerned. "Are you okay?" He asked, turning her to face him. "Do we need to see the doctor?" He asked starting to panic. "I'm fine." She smiled as she reached out for his hand. "She's kicking." She said as the elevator doors opened. The look on Fitz's face turned from concern to pure joy. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I don't feel anything." He confessed. "I'm sure." She said trying to calm him down. "Just give it a minute." She told him. In that moment, everything that had Olivia stressed out faded away and nothing else mattered. She knew that she would be okay because everything that was important to her was right in front of her. Another minute or so went by before the baby kicked again, but it still felt just as magical as the first time. After Fitz was able to feel for himself, he led her into the bedroom so they could finally get some sleep.


End file.
